Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO)

The Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) is an annual international physics competition for secondary-school students from Asian and Oceanian countries, established in 2000 and modelled on the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). Each participating country sends a team of up to eight students who compete individually on a five-hour theoretical examination and a five-hour experimental examination. Medals (gold, silver, bronze) and honourable mentions are awarded based on individual scores, and the host country rotates each year; the 2026 edition was hosted by South Korea. Indian students do not register for APhO directly. The Indian team is selected through the Science Olympiad pipeline run by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), TIFR, starting from the National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP), proceeding to the Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPhO), and then the Orientation-cum-Selection Camp (OCSC) at HBCSE, from which the top performers are chosen for the Indian team to APhO and IPhO.