Science Olympiads are national or international competitions dating back to the mid-20th century, where high school students compete to see who takes home the trophy for being the best-prepared student or school. International Olympiads are generally divided into twelve competitions and categories: mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, biology, philosophy, astronomy, astrophysics, geography, linguistics, the junior science Olympiad, and earth sciences.

You might be thinking this is more American than cheeseburgers and the Super Bowl… and while it’s true that in the United States this is a very common practice (with more than 6,600 teams and 425 competitions nationwide), you don’t have to go far to find some of these competitions.

Yes, yes, right here in Biscay, 4th-year ESO and high school students also have the chance to sign up for a competition in their favorite STEM field. Want to know more?

PETER OR PERU PARKER?

Every year, EHU hosts scientific Olympiads at its facilities where students from the Basque Country can take on this exciting challenge and win fantastic prizes, such as representing the Basque Country in the national science Olympiads. Sounds good, right?

These Olympiads are divided into five categories. The first is the biology Olympiad, where the top three students win a direct pass to the national Olympiads, and if they make it to the podium there, they also qualify for the international Olympiad. In the 2025 edition, the tests organized by the Faculty of Science and Technology at EHU took place at the Leioa Campus (Biscay) and at the Faculty of Chemistry on the San Sebastián Campus (Gipuzkoa), with 50 students from 23 schools participating.

The physics Olympiad is the next competition in which Basque students can qualify, again for nationals and then internationals. However, this Olympiad is organized by the Spanish Royal Society of Physics and is aimed at first- and second-year high school students. The test is divided into two phases: the theoretical, held simultaneously at the Biscay, Gipuzkoa, and Alava campuses of UPV/EHU, and the experimental, where only those with the best theoretical results participate. The latter takes place at the Leioa Campus (Biscay).

The third category is the geology Olympiad, aimed at “stimulating and involving final-year ESO and high school students in the knowledge of this science, while highlighting its importance in today’s world, promoting its progress and dissemination.” This one also qualifies for nationals and internationals and consists of a 50-question multiple-choice exam and a practical test where students must identify different rocks, minerals, structures, and fossils. Then, the five best participants face off in a public battle royale-style showdown where the last one standing wins. Exciting!

The mathematics Olympiad (Hollywood’s all-time favorite) aims to foster mathematical talent among students and select, like the others, their representatives for national and international competitions. The local test consists of (surprise) solving math problems and is held at the Leioa Campus (Biscay).

Finally, there’s the chemistry Olympiad, held at the Biscay and Gipuzkoa campuses, which, like the others (altogether now), serves to qualify for further competitions. In a letter addressed to schools, Marian Iriarte, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry at EHU, encourages students to take part in this activity because, in her words, “participating in the Olympiads offers students a wonderful opportunity to test their knowledge, get a first taste of university life, and meet other students.”

THE GLAMOUR IS IN THE MIND

Maybe our Olympiads aren’t as spectacular as the ones in the movies, maybe you don’t get to be part of a team with cool jackets, have a bus wrapped in your school colors, or shoot webs from your wrists, but one thing’s certain: in our region, there are plenty of young people with great STEM talent.

So, if you’re old enough to participate in one of these Olympiads and they’ve sparked even a little curiosity in you, don’t hesitate to check the universities’ websites to see the syllabus and practice exercises you could try out, this might be the start of a wonderful journey. And if you’re a teacher and someone immediately comes to mind who would love this, don’t hesitate to bring it up with them and also with the school, they’ll surely think it’s a great idea! And hey, maybe not team jackets, but some team T-shirts… could be an option.