Nordic Chemistry Olympiad (NChO) 
¶
Overview¶
The Nordic Chemistry Olympiad (NChO) is a regional chemistry competition for upper secondary students from the five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The competition's lineage traces back to the Scandinavian Chemistry Olympiad (ScCHO), which was established in 2013 and involved only Sweden, Norway, and Denmark for three editions (2013–2015).
In 2016, Finland and Iceland joined, and the competition was renamed the Nordic Chemistry Olympiad to reflect its broader geographic scope. Hosting duties rotate among the five nations, and the competition serves as a direct preparatory step before the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), typically held weeks later in July.
Key organizing bodies include the Swedish Chemical Society (Kemisamfundet), the Norwegian Chemical Society (Norsk Kjemisk Selskap), the Danish Chemistry Olympiad committee, the University of Helsinki chemistry department with the MAOL association (Finland), and the Icelandic chemistry olympiad committee.
With approximately 20 students (4 per country) plus mentors, the NChO is one of the smallest international chemistry olympiads, fostering an intimate, collegial atmosphere that emphasizes accuracy over speed, collaboration alongside competition, and equal opportunity for all five nations regardless of size.
Key Websites¶
- Nordic Chemistry Olympiad official site
- Swedish Chemistry Olympiad — Kemisamfundet
- Norwegian Chemistry Olympiad — NChO/ScCHO page
- Norwegian NChO past papers archive
- Norwegian Kjemiolympiaden — 2013 ScCHO report
- Nordic Chemistry Olympiad held in Helsinki, 2019 — University of Helsinki
- Nordens skarpaste kemielever tävlande på Chalmers, 2025
Competition Format¶
The NChO spans four intensive days in July, combining examinations with social and cultural activities.
- Theoretical Examination
- Duration: 4 hours
- Topics: Advanced chemistry well beyond standard high school curriculum — roughly equivalent to first-year university chemistry. Past topics have included polymers and macromolecular chemistry, NMR spectroscopy, electrochemistry, acid-base equilibria, chemical kinetics (e.g., ATRP polymerization), aromatic pi-electron systems, CO₂ adsorption, atomic layer deposition, and total synthesis
- Difficulty: Significantly harder than national olympiad preliminary rounds; incorporates advanced subjects taught during national training camps
- Practical Examination
- Duration: 4 hours
- Tasks: Typically 2 laboratory tasks
- Examples: Kinetics of alkaline phosphatase enzyme and copper determination via iodometric titration (2024, Oslo); synthesis and analysis of a copper-oxalate coordination complex and iron concentration measurement via spectrophotometry (2019, Helsinki)
- Emphasis: Precision is valued over speed — "Det viktigaste är inte att vara snabb, utan att vara noggrann" (The most important thing is not to be fast, but to be accurate)
Language¶
Exam problems are written in English, as students from five different Nordic countries (speaking Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish) all participate. This also aligns with IChO preparation, where English is the working language.
Medal System¶
The NChO follows a percentage-based medal distribution:
| Medal | Percentage of Participants |
|---|---|
| 🥇 Gold | Top 10% |
| 🥈 Silver | Next 20% (cumulative: 30%) |
| 🥉 Bronze | Next 30% (cumulative: 60%) |
With the standard complement of 20 students, the typical distribution is approximately 2 gold, 4 silver, and 6 bronze medals. Total medal rate is 60% of participants.
Team Size¶
Exactly 4 students per country, accompanied by mentors/leaders. Total: approximately 20 students + mentors.
Relationship to IChO¶
The NChO is explicitly designed as a stepping stone to the IChO:
- The same students who compete at the NChO go on to represent their countries at the IChO, typically held later in July.
- The NChO's 4-hour theoretical + 4-hour practical format closely mirrors the IChO structure (which uses 5-hour exams), providing valuable exam practice under competitive conditions.
- In 2019, after the Helsinki NChO, all delegations traveled directly to the IChO in Paris. In 2025, after the Gothenburg NChO, the Swedish team traveled to the IChO in Dubai.
- The difficulty level (first-year university equivalent) aligns with IChO standards, making the NChO an ideal final "dress rehearsal" at the international level.
History¶
The NChO's history begins with the Scandinavian Chemistry Olympiad (ScCHO). The ScCHO followed the same format as today's NChO — two five-hour examinations (theoretical and practical) held in mid-July immediately before the IChO, serving as a final training ground.
Scandinavian Chemistry Olympiad Era (2013–2015)¶
| Edition | Year | Host City | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ScCHO | 2013 | Copenhagen / Kongens Lyngby (DTU) | Denmark | Inaugural edition; Sweden, Norway, Denmark |
| 2nd ScCHO | 2014 | Stockholm | Sweden | |
| 3rd ScCHO | 2015 | Oslo | Norway | Final ScCHO before expansion |
Nordic Chemistry Olympiad Era (2016–present)¶
| Edition | Year | Host City | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2016 | Copenhagen | Denmark | First NChO; Finland and Iceland join |
| 2nd | 2017 | Stockholm / Uppsala | Sweden | |
| 3rd | 2018 | Oslo | Norway | |
| 4th | 2019 | Helsinki | Finland | Denmark won gold |
| — | 2020 | cancelled (COVID-19) | — | |
| — | 2021 | cancelled (COVID-19) | — | |
| 5th | 2022 | Reykjavik | Iceland | Norway absent (SAS strike); Finland's first NChO gold |
| 6th | 2023 | Copenhagen / Lyngby | Denmark | Denmark and Sweden won gold |
| 7th | 2024 | Oslo | Norway | University of Oslo; full five-country participation restored |
| 8th | 2025 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Chalmers University of Technology; Sweden won 3 silver + 1 bronze |
| 9th | 2026 | Helsinki | Finland | |
| 10th | 2027 | Reykjavik | Iceland | Milestone 10th edition, confirmed |
IChO History in Nordic Countries¶
- Sweden hosted IChO 1982 (Stockholm, 17 countries) and was the first Western nation to join IChO (1974)
- Norway hosted IChO 1994 (Oslo, 47 countries)
- Denmark hosted IChO 2000 (Copenhagen, 32nd IChO)
Fun Facts¶
- Extremely small scale: With only ~20 competitors, the NChO is one of the smallest international chemistry olympiads, creating an intimate atmosphere more akin to a study camp than a large-scale competition.
- Continuous lineage since 2013: The NChO is a direct expansion of the Scandinavian Chemistry Olympiad (2013–2015), giving the competition over a decade of continuous heritage — one of the longest-running regional chemistry olympiads.
- Scandinavian mutual intelligibility: Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are mutually intelligible to a significant degree. Combined with Finnish and Icelandic participants using English, the NChO operates in a unique multilingual-but-cohesive cultural space.
- Cultural exchange emphasis: The four-day format includes significant non-competitive activities — visits to science centers (Heureka in Helsinki), industrial facilities (Neste oil refinery), team challenges, and illusion museums. The motto is that "chemistry, cooperation, and curiosity stood at the centre."
- Nordic egalitarian values: The competition embodies Nordic educational philosophy — emphasis on accuracy over speed, collaboration alongside competition, and equal opportunity for all five nations.
Past Exams Archive¶
| Year | Theory Problems | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | NO | EN |
| 2019 | NO | |
| 2018 | EN | EN |
| 2017 | NO | EN |
| 2016 | NO |