Funding

Free · Self Funded

Course / Training•Remote

International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition (IAAC)

International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition (IAAC)

Application Deadline

Closed · April 17, 2026

Reopens ~Apr 2027

Official Page

The International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition (IAAC) is an online science competition in astronomy and astrophysics, open to school and university students of any nationality. It runs once a year in three rounds — Qualification, Pre-Final and Final — and sorts participants into three categories by grade and age: Junior, Youth and Senior. The Qualification Round is free and solved at home.

The Pre-Final and Final Rounds are supervised exams, sat either at school with a teacher supervising or from home under online supervision. A scoring threshold at each stage decides who advances. The 2026 edition ended with the final results on 6 July 2026, and the organisers have not yet published dates for the next edition.

Benefits & funding

  • The Qualification Round is free to enter.
  • Every participant receives a certificate.
  • Finalists receive Bronze, Silver or Gold honours according to their results.
  • The top three in each category receive cash prizes and telescopes.
  • First prizes: 250 USD (Senior), 200 USD (Youth), 175 USD (Junior).
  • Special awards include telescopes signed by astronaut Frank De Winne and Nobel Prize laureates.
  • Financial aid — fee waivers and reductions — is available to participants facing financial hardship, and schools or teachers can cover several participants in one group payment.
  • Registration costs 13 EUR for the Pre-Final Round only; the organisers state there are no other costs across the competition.

Eligibility

  • Current high school and university students, from all grades and all countries.
  • Students on a gap year before entering university may also take part.
  • Junior category: grade 10 or below, and under 16 years of age.
  • Youth category: grades 11 to 13, and under 19 years of age.
  • Senior category: first year of college or university and above, or 19 years of age and older.
  • No nationality or residency requirement.
  • Pre-Final and Final participants must sit their exams under supervision: a teacher at school or university, or online supervision using a device with a webcam, a second phone with camera and microphone, and a valid government ID.

Can you apply?

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  • Education required

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  • Appears to have an age limit “under 16”

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Application process

  1. 1
    Register for the Qualification Round on the competition website once the new edition opens; this round carries no fee.
  2. 2
    Work through the five qualification problems, each worth 5 points, and submit the solutions before the published deadline at 23:59 UTC+0.
  3. 3
    Qualification results are announced a few weeks later, and participants above the threshold for their category are invited to the Pre-Final Round.
  4. 4
    Register for the Pre-Final Round before its deadline and cover the 13 EUR registration cost, or apply for financial aid instead.
  5. 5
    Arrange supervision for the exam: Option A is a teacher supervising at school or university, Option B is online supervision from home.
  6. 6
    Read the research paper released a few days before the round, then sit the 60-minute Pre-Final exam inside the exam window — one basic problem (4 points), one advanced problem (6 points) and one research-based task (8 points).
  7. 7
    Participants scoring at least 8 (Junior), 10 (Youth) or 12 (Senior) of the 18 available points advance to the Final Round.
  8. 8
    Sit the 40-minute Final exam online on the final date, answering 30 short-answer and multiple-choice questions one by one; results and awards follow about a week later.

Program timeline

  1. Qualification Round submission deadline (23:59 UTC+0)

    17 April 2026

  2. Qualification Round results announced

    4 May 2026

  3. Pre-Final Round registration deadline

    26 May 2026

  4. Research paper released to Pre-Final participants

    29 May 2026

  5. Pre-Final Round exam window

    31 May to 2 June 2026

  6. Pre-Final Round results announced

    15 June 2026

  7. Final Round exam

    30 June 2026

  8. Final Round results announced

    6 July 2026

  9. Next edition

    dates not yet published by the organisers

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