Austria Chemistry Olympiad
Österreichische Chemieolympiade
Key Websites
Organizer
The Austrian Chemistry Olympiad is coordinated by the Bundeskoordinatorenteam (National Coordination Team) and supported by the Verein der Freunde der Österreichischen Chemieolympiade (VFÖC, Association of Friends of the Austrian Chemistry Olympiad), a registered association founded by alumni in 2008 with an international network of over 140 members.
The programme receives government support through the Bundesministerium für Bildung (Federal Ministry of Education), which covers all expenses including travel and accommodation for participants, making the entire competition pathway free for students. Over 1,000 volunteer person-hours are contributed annually to run the competition.
Competition Structure
The Austrian Chemistry Olympiad follows a four-stage pyramid model:
- Junior-ÖChO — A junior-level introductory competition for younger or newer students, run through the Moodle platform alongside the main competition track.
- Kurswettbewerb (School/Course Round) — Held annually around late March to early April. Students spend three hours solving theoretical and practical problems. The top performers per class (typically the top three) advance to the state round.
- Landeswettbewerb (State/Regional Round) — A multi-day regional event held in April. The main competition day features a five-hour theoretical examination (partially at university level) and an afternoon laboratory practical.
- Bundeswettbewerb (National Final) — Held in May, the top students from all nine Austrian states and South Tyrol attend a two-week preparatory training camp featuring advanced laboratory work. From this group, the four-member IChO team is selected. Medals at the national level are awarded based on point thresholds rather than ranking.
A typical annual cycle runs as follows:
- December: Instructor seminar for course leaders
- March–April: School-level contests (Kurswettbewerb)
- April: State-level contests (Landeswettbewerb)
- May–June: National final (Bundeswettbewerb) and training camp
- July: International Chemistry Olympiad
Participation Numbers
The competition targets upper-secondary students (Oberstufe, grades 9–12, approximately ages 14–18) attending allgemein bildende höhere Schulen (AHS, academic secondary schools) and berufsbildende höhere Schulen (BHS, vocational higher schools). Students typically participate through an extracurricular elective course (unverbindliche Übung Chemieolympiade), which covers grades 9–12 and prepares them through theory and laboratory work. Students from South Tyrol (northern Italy) also participate in the Austrian competition system.
Approximately 1,800 students participate nationwide in the competition pathway each year. The national final brings together the best students from all nine states plus South Tyrol, and 4 students are ultimately selected for the IChO team.
History
- 1975: Austria first participated in the IChO, the same year the national olympiad programme was formally established.
- 1980: Austria hosted the 12th IChO in Linz — the first IChO held outside the Eastern Bloc.
- 2008: The Verein der Freunde der Österreichischen Chemieolympiade (alumni association) was founded by former participants to support the competition and maintain an international alumni network.
- 2016: Austria missed IChO participation for the only time in over five decades.
Lifetime medal totals from the official IChO results database:
| Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Honorable Mention |
| 24 |
72 |
80 |
4 |
Past Exam Archive
2026: 52nd Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2025: 51st Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2024: 50th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2023: 49th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2022: 48th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2021: 47th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2020: 46th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2019: 45th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2018: 44th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2017: 43rd Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2016: 42nd Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2015: 41st Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2014: 40th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2013: 39th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2012: 38th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2011: 37th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
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2010: 36th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
2009: 35th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
2008: 34th Austria Chemistry Olympiad
2007: 33rd Austria Chemistry Olympiad
2006: 32nd Austria Chemistry Olympiad