IPhO International Physics Olympiad
The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is a non-profit educational organization running the world's premier annual physics competition for secondary school students, with 80+ participating countries since its founding in 1967.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1967
- HeadquartersOsterreicher, Austria
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What IPhO International Physics Olympiad does
The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1967 that operates the world's most prestigious annual physics competition for secondary school students. The competition is hosted in a different country each year as a 9-10 day event in which national teams of up to five students and two team leaders compete in theoretical and experimental physics assessments. As of 2023, the 53rd IPhO in Tokyo drew 82 participating countries and 394 contestants, with participation ranging across recent years in the 75-90 country band. The organization is governed by an Advisory Board and operates without commercial revenue; participation is routed through national physics olympiad programs rather than direct registration, making the model community-led and event-driven.
IPhO's primary product is the annual competition itself. The supporting digital infrastructure is split between ipho-new.org (the official site maintained by the IPhO organization) and ipho-unofficial.org, a volunteer-maintained open-source community resource that aggregates historical data, country participation records, hall of fame entries, competition timelines dating to 1967, and a searchable participant database with CSV export. The unofficial site uses a static web design pattern modeled on imo-official.org and explicitly disclaims affiliation with the official IPhO organization. The Hall of Fame feature uses a simple name-matching algorithm rather than any sophisticated identity resolution. There are no proprietary technology features, APIs, or integrations disclosed.
The business model is structurally non-commercial. There is no pricing, no subscription, no advertising, and no sponsorship monetization at the central IPhO level — the operating costs of each annual competition are absorbed by the rotating host country and its national physics committees. Upcoming events are confirmed through 2030 (France 2025, Colombia 2026, Hungary 2027, Republic of Korea 2028, Ecuador 2029, Russia 2030), demonstrating multi-year institutional continuity. The unofficial website is maintained by a single named webmaster ([email protected]) and hosted on GitHub. The competition adapted to COVID-19 by postponing the 2020 edition and supporting the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology's remote International Distributed Physics Olympiad (IdPhO) in December 2020.
IPhO International Physics Olympiad firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IPhO International Physics Olympiad
- Legal name
- International Physics Olympiad
- Website
- https://ipho-unofficial.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1967
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is a non-profit educational organization running the world's premier annual physics competition for secondary school students, with 80+ participating countries since its founding in 1967.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IPhO International Physics Olympiad industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Competition / Physics Olympiad
- akta.pro primary industry
- Academic Olympiads & Subject Competitions (Science, Math, Informatics) (EDAMAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Research & Science Fair Competitions (Science Fairs, Research Symposiums) (EDAMAGAL), Physics Enrichment Programs (EDAMABAH)
Keywords
Where IPhO International Physics Olympiad is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Osterreicher
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
IPhO International Physics Olympiad business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Non-profit educational competition: IPhO is a non-profit educational competition. ipho-unofficial.org explicitly states it is 'unofficial and non-profit, and does not hold any rights over its contents.' The organization does not generate commercial revenue.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
IPhO International Physics Olympiad product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IPhO International Physics Olympiad organizes the world's premier annual international physics competition for secondary school students, held over 9-10 days in a rotating host country. Each participating nation fields a team of up to five students plus two team leaders to compete in theoretical and experimental physics problem-solving, critical thinking, presentation, and laboratory skills. Supporting the event, the community-maintained ipho-unofficial.org provides a centralized data platform aggregating competition history, country participation statistics, hall-of-fame records, and a searchable participant database from 1967 to present.
Product overview
IPhO International Physics Olympiad operates as a non-profit educational organization running the most prestigious international physics competition for secondary school students. The organization's primary offering is the annual IPhO competition—a 9-10 day event testing theoretical and experimental physics knowledge. The supporting digital infrastructure consists of the IPhO Unofficial Website, which serves as a centralized database aggregating competition history, participant records, and results across all participating nations from 1967 to present.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- IPhO Unofficial Website Community-maintained online resource providing access to past and upcoming Physics Olympiad timelines, country participation data, hall-of-fame records, problem archives, and a searchable participant database with CSV export. Free, non-profit, and not affiliated with the official IPhO organization.
- Annual International Physics Olympiad Competition A 9-10 day annual international physics competition for secondary school students held in a rotating host country. National teams of up to five students and two team leaders compete in theoretical and experimental physics, critical thinking, problem-solving, presentation, and laboratory skills assessment.
Companies that use IPhO International Physics Olympiad
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
IPhO International Physics Olympiad technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
IPhO International Physics Olympiad partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ipho-new.org (Official IPhO Website)coreipho-unofficial.org explicitly sources its data from ipho-new.org, the official website of the International Physics Olympiad. The unofficial site serves as a community resource while relying on the official site for authoritative information.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
IPhO International Physics Olympiad competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad (IOAA): IOAA is a newer international science olympiad focused on astronomy and astrophysics for secondary school students. Comparable in target audience and competition structure to IPhO, though smaller in scale.
- International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO): IChO is a sister international science olympiad for secondary school students, organized annually with rotating host countries. Directly comparable in target audience, format, governance structure, and global participation model to IPhO.
- European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO): EuPhO is a regional physics olympiad for European secondary school students, serving as a continental complement to the global IPhO. Directly comparable in subject matter, format, and target demographic, though geographically narrower.
- Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO): APhO is a regional physics olympiad for Asian secondary school students. Comparable in subject matter and competition structure to IPhO, serving as a regional feeder for the global competition.
- International Biology Olympiad (IBO): IBO is another international science olympiad for secondary school students, with annual competitions and 80+ participating countries. Comparable structure and target demographic to IPhO, though focused on biology rather than physics.
- International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO): IMO is the most direct peer to IPhO - the premier international secondary school mathematics competition with 100+ countries participating. The unofficial IPhO website design is explicitly based on imo-official.org, confirming the structural comparability. Both operate on the same annual, host-country rotation model.
- International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI): IOI is the international computer science olympiad for secondary school students, held annually with rotating host countries. Directly comparable to IPhO in format, scale, and international participation model.
Others
- International Science Olympiad (ISO) - Wikipedia: Wikipedia serves as an adjacent informational resource that aggregates data on all international science olympiads, similar to how ipho-unofficial.org aggregates IPhO data. Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem-level reference point.
Emerging players
- USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO): USAPhO is the national physics olympiad program that selects the U.S. team for IPhO. While not a global competitor, it is a key node in the IPhO ecosystem and serves a comparable function at the national level.
- Putnam Mathematical Competition: Putnam is a prestigious university-level mathematics competition, not a secondary school competition. It is loosely comparable as a high-prestige academic competition but targets a different demographic and is not in the same international olympiad ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
IPhO International Physics Olympiad social profiles
Digital presenceIPhO International Physics Olympiad financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IPhO International Physics Olympiad leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
IPhO International Physics Olympiad funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IPhO International Physics Olympiad M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IPhO International Physics Olympiad
What does IPhO International Physics Olympiad do?
IPhO International Physics Olympiad organizes the world's premier annual international physics competition for secondary school students, held over 9-10 days in a rotating host country. Each participating nation fields a team of up to five students plus two team leaders to compete in theoretical and experimental physics problem-solving, critical thinking, presentation, and laboratory skills. Supporting the event, the community-maintained ipho-unofficial.org provides a centralized data platform aggregating competition history, country participation statistics, hall-of-fame records, and a searchable participant database from 1967 to present.
Is IPhO International Physics Olympiad a public or private company?
IPhO International Physics Olympiad is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was IPhO International Physics Olympiad founded?
IPhO International Physics Olympiad was founded in 1967. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is IPhO International Physics Olympiad based?
IPhO International Physics Olympiad is headquartered in Osterreicher, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does IPhO International Physics Olympiad make money?
One revenue line is on record: non-profit educational competition.
Who are IPhO International Physics Olympiad's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad (IOAA), International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO), Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO), International Biology Olympiad (IBO), International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). International Science Olympiad (ISO) - Wikipedia is listed as an others. Emerging players are USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO) and Putnam Mathematical Competition.
Does IPhO International Physics Olympiad have an API?
No public API is recorded for IPhO International Physics Olympiad.
What industry is IPhO International Physics Olympiad in?
IPhO International Physics Olympiad's product category is Educational Competition / Physics Olympiad. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAGAE, Academic Olympiads & Subject Competitions (Science, Math, Informatics), with a secondary code of EDAMAGAL, Research & Science Fair Competitions (Science Fairs, Research Symposiums).