Thank you for your interest in the 2024 International Environmental Science Olympiad! We’re excited to bring together the top science students from around the world and hope this page and the rest of the site can help you learn more about how IESO works and how you can take part. Here are some FAQs that you might be interested in. Please contact ieso@iacompetitions.com if you have further questions, though please note that more information on IESO 2024 will be posted to this site on a rolling basis in the months leading up to the event.
Basic Info
Q: When will registration for the 2024 IESO open? What will the registration deadline be?
A: Registration for the 2024 International Environmental Science Olympiad is now open! Registration will run through December 3, 2024.
Q: What is the host school going to be?
A: We are pleased to announce that the host school for the 2024 International Environmental Science Olympiad will be Robinson School. The address of the school is 5 Calle Nairn, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907 and the school can be found here on a map. Robinson School is an International Baccalaureate World School, and one of the top independent schools in Puerto Rico. The school is in a safe and upscale neighborhood and is a 5 minute walk from the beach. It is also next to many restaurants that run the gamut from Burger King to fancy cafés.
Q: Do you have any hotel recommendations?
A: There is no set list of recommended hotels, but If you are booking a hotel room (as opposed to an Airbnb or Vrbo), this map can help you plan accordingly; for hotel rooms, we suggest comparing rates on both hotels.com, booking.com and individual hotel websites.
Q: Do we need to rent a car?
A: Generally speaking, it’s not necessary to rent a car, though there is free parking available at Robinson School for those who do. Uber is everywhere in San Juan and is at most times very affordable. Renting a car would only really be necessary if you are interested in exploring portions of the island that are farther afield, especially if you wish to go to more remote beaches / caving / snorkeling / ziplining at places that are over 30 minutes from San Juan.
Q: What are the costs to attend the 2024 International Environmental Science Olympiad?
A: The costs are listed here.
Q: Will proof of completed vaccination against Covid-19 be required to attend?
A: No, beginning in 2024, Covid-19 vaccination is not required to attend IAC world championship-level events, including IESO.
Q: Which age divisions will be offered at the 2024 IESO? How old must students be to compete?
A: The International Environmental Science Olympiad will feature three age divisions: High School (students in grade 9-12 in the 2024-2025 academic year), Middle School (students in grade 6-8 during the 2024-2025 academic year), and Elementary School (students in grade 3-5 in the 2024-2025 academic year). Students must be in at least the 3rd grade in order to be able to compete, or the international equivalent thereof. If you are uncertain as to if that applies to you, please contact ieso@iacompetitions.com to obtain a ruling. Those who qualify but who are not old enough may defer their qualification to the next IESO for which they are eligible.
Note that if a student qualified for IESO during a prior academic year, then they do NOT need to requalify for IESO in the 2024-2025 academic year, but they MUST compete only in the age division that they are eligible for. Thus a student who competed in 8th grade in North America in 2023-2024, and who is in 9th grade in 2024-2025 must compete in the High School division at IESO.
Q: What day must participants arrive in Puerto Rico? What day should participants plan on departing from Puerto Rico?
A: All participants must arrive in Puerto Rico no later than the evening of December 27. Check in will be available at Robinson School that day from 1pm-6:30pm. Families may arrive later than that, and then check in at the school on the morning of December 28 from 9am-10am. The mandatory Opening Ceremonies begins at 10am on December 28 and is followed immediately by the mandatory Battery Exam. Please do NOT select a flight that arrives in Puerto Rico that morning; the timing is too tight in the event of travel delays. Families who are taking part in the Family and Friends Program Extended Option who arrive early enough on December 27 may take advantage of the visit to El Morro Castle and the Old San Juan Family Scavenger Hunt, which are both optional; the Scavenger Hunt is not an official medal event.
Participants may leave any time on January 1, or on any flight on December 31 after 10pm. Note that it is permitted to leave IESO early on December 31 (or any time after 10pm on December 30) as there are no mandatory competitions on December 31. However, no discount is provided for participants who need to leave early.
Who can compete
Q: How do I qualify for the International Environmental Science Olympiad?
A: Qualification criteria are described here.
Q: Do students need to come with a parent?
A: Students competing in the High School Division only are welcome to come without a parent or guardian. Students competing in the Middle School or Elementary School Divisions must come with a parent or other family member. Middle School or Elementary School Division students may come with a friend’s parent if both families provide written permission of such an agreement. Students in all divisions may come with a teacher as a chaperone instead of a family member, as long as the student’s parents provide written consent.
Note that at IESO, it is not permitted for a High School Division student to enroll as an unaccompanied student (i.e. a student staying in IAC-provided accommodations who pays a supplemental fee to do so) if that student is attending with adult family members. In that case, the student must stay with their family. However, if no adult family members are accompanying a High School Division student, then that student can enroll as an unaccompanied student (a supplemental accommodation fee applies in this case).
Q: Is there a maximum number of students who can represent a country or compete?
A: Unlike various other competitions, we don’t limit the number of students who can attend per country. There is no field cap on the number of students who can compete.
Q: I qualified for IESO while in high school, but in the 2024-2025 academic year I will be enrolled at a college or university. Can I still attend?
A: Unfortunately, no. There will not be an opportunity for anyone who graduated high school prior to November 2024 to compete.
Q: Is there a minimum age to attend IESO? How do age divisions work if a student is not on a standard North American / International grade K-12 system?
A: Any student who qualified and is in third grade and older in the 2024-25 school year (for US, Canadian students, and students at international schools that adhere to a comparable grade structure) or born on or after August 31, 2016 (for students from outside these countries / grade systems) may compete. Students competing in the Elementary School, Intermediate, and Middle School Divisions are welcome to come if they have qualified but they must come with a parent or guardian. If you have already qualified but are too young to compete in 2024, you may defer your registration until you are old enough to compete.
For the 2024 IESO, for students not attending school in North America or following a North American grade system, the birthdate cutoffs to determine age divisions are as follows: Elementary School = Born from Sep. 1, 2013-Aug. 31, 2016. Middle School = Born from Sep. 1, 2010-Aug. 31, 2013. High School = Born before Sep. 1, 2010. Homeschooled students anywhere in the world (this can also include students in North America) who do not follow a standard North American grade system also use these birthdate cutoffs to determine their age divisions.
Q: Do I have to attend with my school academic team or quiz bowl team?
A: No. The International Environmental Science Olympiad is a competition for individual students, so there is no need to attend as part of an academic team.
Q: Do I need to compete in certain events? Can I come for just one competition or for a few competitions?
A: The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are mandatory as are the Battery Exam, the Beach Ecology Fieldwork, the Environmental Science Bee, and the Written Exam. All other competitions and field trips are optional, but there is no discount for only competing in a limited number of events, and it is not permitted to just compete in one or two competitions: all students must take part in all the mandatory events.
Q: Do any competitions at IESO require a special application, or are all competitions open to all Competing Students / Family and Friends Program Participants? Are any competitions just for certain age divisions?
A: All competitions are open to all Competing Students; Family and Friends Program Extended Option Participants can take part in any multiple choice exam, the Family and Friends Environmental Science Bee, and the Zoology Bee. They can also compete in the Family Beach Quiz (which is not open to Competing Students, as it overlaps with a mandatory event) and the Family Scavenger Hunt – those two events are not official medal events. There are no competitions with limits on the number of participants, nor do any competitions require an application, nor are any competitions just for certain age divisions.
Q: Do any field trips at IESO have space or other limits?
A: The only trip with space limitations is the Birds of Puerto Rico Trip (as bird watching in a forest environment in a group of over 30 people is impractical) which is limited to 25 participants. Priority will first be given to students who have taken the National Ornithology Exam and one accompanying adult; thereafter, remaining space will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis during the Event Selection Period. The Puerto Rico Art Museum trip and the Beach Ecology Walk are only open to Family and Friends Program Extended Option participants, not competing students, as they conflict with mandatory events for competing students as well.
Q. What if my school or university starts again before the end of IESO? Or if I have some other pressing event that precludes me from being at IESO during the entire time?
A. Given the short time frame of IESO, it is not permitted to come for only a portion of the event, with the sole exception of flying out early at any time on December 31 (or after 10pm on December 30), which is permitted as there are no mandatory competitions on December 31. That said, there is no discount for anyone who leaves prior to the conclusion of IESO, and we encourage all participants to stay through the conclusion of IESO on the evening of December 31 and celebrate the new year in Puerto Rico!
Registration
Q: How do I sign up?
A: Once you have qualified, you can register for IESO here. Upon registration, an invoice will be sent.
Other FAQs
Q: Can IESO staff meet my child / our family at the airport?
A: IESO staff can provide airport pickups but only for Competing Students in the High School Division who are coming to Puerto Rico without an accompanying adult. There is no extra charge for these pickups, but IESO staff will only provide these for students who are traveling unaccompanied to Puerto Rico.
Q: Where will participants stay?
A: Participants can stay wherever they wish; there is no requirement to stay at any particular hotel, nor are there special rates available. Families are encouraged to book accommodations as early as possible, given the high demand during the holiday break. While Ubers and other ride shares are cheap and readily available, San Juan traffic can be heavy, and families are advised to book as close to Robinson School as possible. If you are booking a hotel room (as opposed to an Airbnb or Vrbo), this map can help you plan accordingly; for hotel rooms, we suggest comparing rates on both hotels.com, booking.com and individual hotel websites.
Unaccompanied students will stay in 2.5-3.5 star hotels in San Juan near Robinson School. These will be booked on a continuous basis as students sign up, but in all cases, multiple IESO staff members will also stay at these hotels. Once unaccompanied students register, we will let their families know which hotel we have booked for them.
Q: Can parents, family members, family friends, teachers, and academic team coaches attend?
A: Yes, all of these people are welcome; we will even have certain separate events for them. They must, however, register as official participants in the Family & Friends Program. Further information about the Family and Friends Program is available here.
Q: What language are the International Environmental Science Olympiad held in?
A: IESO’s official language is English. If English is not your mother tongue, we can provide you with a bilingual dictionary that you can use for all the non-buzzer-based events, though you must request this to us in an email to ieso@iacompetitions.com.
Q: Can International Academic Competitions provide us with a visa letter to attend?
A: Yes, International Academic Competitions has provided these many times. A list of countries that have visa-free travel to the USA is provided here. If this does not include your country of citizenship, you will need a visa, and you are strongly advised to begin the process of obtaining one (for which you will need a letter from us) as soon as possible. Please contact ieso@iacompetitions.com if you need a visa letter to attend IESO 2024.
Q: Which country or US state can I represent?
At IESO, each student will have a specific affiliation (i.e. country or US State). You are eligible to compete for a country or US State if any of these methods apply to you:
1) you have citizenship of that country (or for India, are an Overseas Citizen of India) as of December 1, 2024
2) you were born in a particular country or US state
3) the country or state for which you were a permanent resident for the majority of the 2024-2025 academic year (August 2024-June 2025)
4) the country or state for which you are a permanent resident on December 1, 2024
5) the country or state in which you were enrolled in school for the majority of the 2024-2025 academic year (August 2024-June 2025)
6) the country or state in which you most recently attended school as of December 1, 2024
You can only select one affiliation. This can be adjusted later if needed until December 3, 2024.
Students from Hong Kong and Macau or with passports from those locations may play either for them or for the People’s Republic of China. Students from North Korea will play on a unified Korea team. Students are not permitted to represent Belarus or Russia; these students will compete as independent students. Students from subnational territories should contact International Environmental Science Olympiad staff for a ruling on representation eligibility.
Q: How many medals will be awarded?
A: Numerous events will be held, but for Competing Students, only one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal will be distributed per event, per age division (High School, Middle School, and Elementary School).
For the Family and Friends Program Participants, for each event that they are eligible to compete in, there will be one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal awarded to the top Adults, Older Students, and Younger Students. For Family and Friends Program Participants, the distinction between Older Students and Younger Students will be done separately for each event, whereby the older 50% of students who have signed up to compete in an event will form the Older Students, and the younger 50% will form the Younger Students. In events with odd numbers, the Younger Students division will have the extra student.
Q: What are the buzzer-based quiz events?
A: These are the events which are played with a buzzer system. These are sometimes called quiz bowl events, though note that at IESO they are all individual, not team-based.
Q: Are there team events at the International Environmental Science Olympiad?
A. No, given the time constraints of the schedule, there are not any team events at IESO (other than Family teams for the Scavenger Hunt and the Family Beach Quiz, neither of which are official medal events).
Q: Is there going to be an Individual Champion at the International Environmental Science Olympiad?
A: For each division, there will be an individual champion, and for all age divisions at IESO, the calculation to determine the individual overall champion will work the same way. Namely, this will be the student with the combined highest position in the Battery Exam, the Beach Ecology Fieldwork, the Environmental Science Bee, and the Written Exam. There will also be a champion country or state based on the highest position in the medals count (this is for all divisions combined). The rank points principle will apply with the first place student in an age division receiving one point, the second place student receiving two points, and so on. If students tie for a position, then the average of the positions is given to all tied students). The lowest number of combined rank points on all four competitions takes the overall first place, the second lowest number of combined rank points takes second place, and so on.
If there are ties for the Overall Championship or for the top positions, ties will be broken first through performance on the Beach Ecology Fieldwork, then the Written Exam, then the Battery Exam, and then the Environmental Science Bee. If there are ties on all four competitions, then a series of three multiple choice questions will be asked, graded on the 2, 0, -1 scoring system for correct, left blank, and incorrect. The student with the highest combined score receives the higher position. This process will be repeated as many times as necessary to break ties.
If you have any other questions, please email ieso@iacompetitions.com.