The International Olympiad in Informatics is an annual individual programming competition for students representing national delegations. It combines two competition days with social and cultural activities.
Each participating country sends a delegation with one to four contestants selected through its own ability-based programming and problem-solving process. Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, will host IOI 2027, which starts on 12 September 2027.
Benefits & funding
- The host covers board and lodging during the Olympiad for official delegation leaders, deputy leaders, and contestants.
- Participants or their delegations cover international travel, and a delegation registration fee may apply.
- Contestants compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals or an Honourable Mention under published score-boundary rules.
Eligibility
- Applicants must have been enrolled at secondary-school level or lower for most of September through December in the year before the Olympiad and must not have held a half-time or heavier tertiary degree-course load then.
- Contestants must be no older than 20 on 1 July of the Olympiad year.
- Each contestant must qualify through an ability-based national selection that tests programming and problem-solving; a delegation normally includes no more than four contestants.
- Students studying abroad may represent their country of nationality, while each national process may set its own entry logistics or nationality condition.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
High School
Age requirement
≤ 20 yrs
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Application process
- 1Find the relevant country or territory on the IOI members page and follow its listed contact or national-olympiad website.
- 2Enter that country’s national selection procedure and complete its programming and problem-solving assessments.
- 3If selected for the national team, provide the required details to the delegation leader, who handles central IOI registration.
- 4Monitor the IOI 2027 host site for participant and registration details; there is no central individual application form.
Program timeline
Most recent completed central delegation-registration deadline
15 June 2026
Most recent completed Olympiad in Tashkent
9–16 August 2026
12 September 2027
IOI 2027 starts in Potsdam