Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística

What Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística does

The Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística (OBL) is a Brazilian nonprofit educational organization founded in 2011 that runs an annual national linguistics competition. It serves students of Ensino Fundamental and Ensino Médio through dedicated Mirim and Regular categories, plus the general public via an Aberta category. Co-organized by Instituto Vertere (operational and strategic management) and the Associação Brasileira de Linguística (ABRALIN) (academic and pedagogical management), the OBL functions as the Brazilian national selection stage for the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL).

The competition is structured in four phases: an online Phase 1 (18 multiple-choice problems across three difficulty cycles, delivered via a web platform and native Android/iOS mobile applications), a paper-based Phase 2 (3-5 discursive problems administered at in-person examination centers), the Escola Linguística de Outono (ELO) — a hybrid three-month enrichment program culminating in a one-week in-person residency in Brasília — and selection of the national delegation for the IOL. The organization has accumulated a curated library of self-sufficient linguistics problems spanning 14+ editions and hundreds of languages, and runs a dedicated teacher outreach program supported by an ABRALIN distance-learning course. Top performers earn university admissions credits at USP, UFMS, UFABC, and UNIFEI.

The OBL is entirely free to participate in, with an optional suggested donation of R$15 at registration. It generates no commercial revenue, relying instead on donations, institutional support, and volunteer labor from a coordination team of 3 and a volunteer corps of 12. The most recent completed edition (Abya Yala 2023-24) recorded 11,150 participants from 1,072 schools across all 27 Brazilian states, with 593 medals awarded. Brazil hosted the 2024 IOL in Brasília, marking the first Southern Hemisphere occurrence of the international event.

Name

Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística

Legal name

Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística

Website

https://obling.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística (OBL) is a Brazilian nonprofit that runs a free annual national linguistics olympiad for Ensino Fundamental and Médio students and the general public, serving as Brazil's selection stage for the International Linguistics Olympiad. Founded 2011, it engages 11,150+ participants from 1,072 schools across all 27 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Competitions

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Language Proficiency Exam Prep (CEFR, TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, PTE) (EDANACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

ESL/ELL Literacy & Academic English Support (EDAMAJAJ), Academic Language Support (ESL/EFL for School & University) (EDANACAB)

Keywords

• Linguistics olympiad
• Academic competitions
• Student education
• Language sciences
• Olympic knowledge

Headquarters

HQ city

Brasília

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: The OBL is a free competition that operates on donations. Participants are invited to make a voluntary donation at the point of registration, with a suggested reference value of R$ 15, though any amount or no amount can be donated based on the participant's means.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística (OBL) is a free, annual Brazilian academic competition that engages students from Ensino Fundamental (middle school) through Ensino Médio (high school) and the general public in solving self-sufficient linguistics problems to develop logical-analytical reasoning and linguistic intuition. Delivered through four sequential phases — an online multiple-choice exam (via web and mobile apps), a paper-based discursive exam, the Autumn Language School (ELO) intensive program, and selection for the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) — the OBL serves as Brazil's national selector for IOL participation and is supported by a curated repository of linguistics problems spanning 14+ editions.

Product overview

The Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística (OBL) is a unified educational competition product that operates across multiple platforms including a web application (app.obling.com.br) and native mobile applications for Android and iOS. The competition is structured in four phases: an online multiple-choice phase, a paper-based phase with discursive problems, the Escola Linguística de Outono (ELO) intensive program, and participation in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL). The platform serves students from elementary to high school as well as the general public through three participation categories (Mirim, Regular, and Aberta).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística (OBL) Annual Competition An annual, free Brazilian academic competition that engages students from Ensino Fundamental (middle school) through Ensino Médio (high school) and the general public in solving self-sufficient linguistics problems across four sequential phases (online multiple-choice, paper-based discursive, Autumn Language School/ELO, and International Linguistics Olympiad/IOL selection).
• OBL Mobile Application Native mobile application available on Google Play and the Apple App Store that allows participants to take the online Phase 1 exam, access competition materials, view results, and receive digital certificates. Delivers 18 multiple-choice questions across three difficulty cycles.
• OBL Web Platform Online platform at app.obling.com.br used for participant registration, competition access, and results management. Phase 1 can be completed on any device (computer, tablet, or phone).

Quantifiable outcome

• 11,150 participants, 1,072 schools across all 27 Brazilian states (Abya Yala 2023-24)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Instituto VerterecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstituto Vertere is co-organizer of the OBL, responsible for the strategic and operational organization of the competition. It is listed as the organization behind the OBL's legal and administrative operations.
• Associação Brasileira de Linguística (ABRALIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABRALIN is co-organizer of the OBL, responsible for the academic and pedagogical organization. The 'Comissão de Linguística e Olimpíadas' within ABRALIN oversees the academic quality and content of the competition. ABRALIN also hosts a distance learning course 'Problemas de Linguística na Sala de Aula' for teachers.
• Sociedade de Debates Hermenêutica/UnBminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvided support for organizing the Assembleia (assembly/debate) activity during the ELO phase of the Abya Yala (2023-24) and Khipu (2022-23) editions.
• SiNUS 2023minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupported the organization of the Assembleia debate activity during the ELO phase of the Khipu edition (2022-23).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Duolingo: Adjacent language-learning platform that overlaps with OBL on the language-as-discipline theme and uses gamified mobile delivery. Not a direct competitor (Duolingo is commercial language instruction vs. OBL is a non-profit competition), but competes for student attention in the language education space.

Direct peers

• Olimpíada Brasileira de Matemática (OBM): The leading Brazilian academic olympiad (mathematics) with parallel structure: school-based participation, multi-phase competition, university admissions bonus recognition, and operated by a national academic society. Closest structural analog within Brazil's olympiad ecosystem.
• Olimpíada Brasileira de Física (OBF): Brazilian physics academic olympiad with school-based multi-phase competition and university recognition. Operates in the same institutional context as OBL and competes for teacher attention and student participation hours.
• Olimpíada de Língua Portuguesa (OLP) / Escrevendo o Futuro: Brazilian Portuguese-language academic competition for schools, focused on reading/writing/literacy skills among basic education students. Targets the same participant segment (Ensino Fundamental/Médio students in Brazilian schools) with a complementary language-arts skill focus.
• North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO): The North American linguistics olympiad that feeds into IOL; uses the same self-sufficient linguistics problem format and serves as the direct international peer in the same IOL ecosystem. Highly comparable on problem design, participant profile, and competition flow.
• International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL): The global counterpart to national linguistics olympiads; OBL is the official Brazilian national selection for IOL and uses IOL-style self-sufficient linguistics problems. Operates the same competition format internationally across ~50 countries, making it the closest peer.

Others

• Associação Brasileira de Linguística (ABRALIN): Brazil's national linguistics academic association and OBL's co-organizer. ABRALIN provides academic legitimacy and content oversight but does not itself run a competing competition; relevant as a strategic ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy (Brasil): Large-scale free educational platform used in Brazilian schools that overlaps with OBL on free supplemental learning for K-12 students. Not a direct competitor but competes for school time and teacher attention given its broader academic coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@obletube
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/obling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Olimpíada Brasileira de Linguística