British Physics OlympiadBPhO

Yes, and no citizenship is required. The official FAQ states that contestants in competitions up to and including Round 1 do not need to be UK citizens — they only need to meet each paper's year-group limit, and Round 0 and Round 1 are open to Year 13 and below, which is U.S. grade 12 and below. From Round 2 onward the competition becomes UK team selection and students not at UK schools cannot continue, so it is worth setting that expectation early.

Students cannot enter themselves. A teacher at the school must register the school on the BPhO competition platform using a school email address — personal addresses are not accepted. The official FAQ says European schools should first email contact@bpho.org.uk, while schools outside the UK and Europe go through the partner ASEEDER. If an Irvine Unified school has not registered before, it is worth having the physics teacher email both routes early to confirm which applies.

Round 0 is a one-hour, 25-question multiple-choice paper with no calculator and no negative marking, drawn from Year 12 topics and excluding electric, magnetic and gravitational fields and particle physics — the screening entry. Round 1 is two hours: Section 1 short answers capped at 50 marks, Section 2 two of four 25-mark long questions, entered by invitation from Round 0. A grade 10 student normally sits Round 0 first, then moves into written long-question practice for Round 1.

No. The official eligibility rule has two conditions that must both hold: attending a school inside the UK, and being either a UK citizen or having been educated mainly in the UK since Year 8 or earlier. Round 2 invitations go only to students who meet both. For students outside that pool, the realistic ceiling is the certificate level reached in Round 1, and the goal should be set there rather than at team selection.

The organisers publish approximate Round 1 certificate numbers: around 150 Top Gold, 200 Gold, 400 Silver, 400 Bronze I, 400 Bronze II and 1,000 Commendations, with book prizes generally going to Top Gold winners. That puts Gold and above at roughly 350 students. In Round 2 the picture is different — gold, silver and bronze are each about a third of entrants, but only because everyone in that room was invited on Round 1 performance.

The official prices are £14 per school for Round 0, £18 per student for Round 1 (with four free papers for UK non-fee-paying schools), and no charge for Round 2 and everything after it. International schools entering through ASEEDER or ASDAN pay whatever that partner publishes, which is normally higher than the direct BPhO price, so ask the partner for an itemized quote before committing.

From the official calendar: Round 0 on 1 October 2026 (2 October for schools outside the UK); Round 1 on 12 November 2026, with 16 November for international schools and scanned scripts uploaded by 18 November; Round 2 on 21 January 2027; and the Oxford training and selection camp provisionally 5/6 to 10 April 2027. The upload deadline is firm — marking begins the following day — so schools should plan scanning time into the schedule.

Both, but differently. UK universities, including the G5, recognize BPhO certificates directly and read them as a clear plus for physics and engineering applicants. For U.S. admissions it is a less familiar name, so the value lies in having an international award at all, plus the fact that its long-question derivation practice transfers to USAPhO preparation. Students applying to the UK and the U.S. at the same time get the most out of one preparation effort.