International Committee of the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO)

The International Committee of the International Philosophy Olympiad is the standing body that governs the annual Philosophy Olympiad for secondary school students. It is made up of the delegation leaders of every country that has already hosted an Olympiad, and its affairs are managed by a three-member Executive Board elected for two-year terms. The Olympiad began in 1993 on the initiative of the Department of Philosophy at Sofia University, and has been held under the auspices of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies since 2001 with the recognition and support of UNESCO. More than fifty countries are listed as participants, and India has taken part every year since 2008. The committee sets the competition regulations, elects the Medals Committee and the Ethics Committee, and decides which country hosts each edition. Its secretariat, run in cooperation with the Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University, keeps the archive of topics, essays and minutes, publishes the Bulletin of IPO, and maintains the official website and the IPO Essay Guide.