International Academic Competitions will be organizing the inaugural International Environmental Science Olympiad (IESO) for our Science players and their families in beautiful Puerto Rico from December 27-31, 2024. Further details will be forthcoming over the coming months, and we expect that a full program will be announced by late May 2024, with registration opening by May 23 in advance of our 2024 Middle & Elementary School US National Championships. IESO will be open to all students who have qualified for the National Science Bee National Championships (in the USA), the Canadian, European, and Asian Championships of the International Science Bee, or any student who passes the IESO Qualifying Exam which will be available beginning in early 2024. We envision that there will be three age divisions: High School (students in 9th-12th grade in December 2024), Middle School (students in 6th-8th grade in December 2024), and Elementary School (students in 3rd-5th grade in December 2024).
IESO will feature a mix of competitions, field trips, family activities, ceremonies and more. It is specifically designed to be an event for the whole family, with optional events for parents, non-competing siblings, and other relatives. December 27 will be an arrival day, with optional field trips for early arriving families. The Opening Ceremonies will take place on the morning of December 28, and the Closing Ceremonies on December 31. This will allow families to depart on January 1 so that everyone can return in time for the resumption of school.
Update March 7, 2024: We are delighted to announce that Robinson School, a leading independent school in the heart of San Juan, will be the host school for IESO 2024! We are grateful to Robinson School for their support of IESO 2024 and look forward to a great competition hosted at their school! The location of the school can be found here on a Google Map, and here are some photos of the school:
While we’re still in the process of brainstorming and envisioning the program of activities, we’re considering the activities below for inclusion in IESO 2024. If you have thoughts or suggestions, please let us know! Contact Jay Wickliff, our Director of Strategic Planning, at jay@iacompetitions.com with any ideas you have. See you in Puerto Rico for IESO 2024!
How to Qualify
1. Students in the USA may also qualify for the International Environmental Science Olympiad by taking the International Environmental Science Olympiad Qualifying Exam. Students must score 75 or higher if they take the exam while in 9th-12th grade, 65 or higher if they take the exam while in 7th or 8th grade, 55 or higher if they take the exam while in 2nd-6th grade.
2. Any student who qualified for the National Championships of the National Science Bee in the 2022-23, 2023-24, or 2024-25 academic years qualifies.
3. Students can also qualify by scoring 75 or higher on any version of the National Science Bee National Qualifying Exam while in 9th-12th grade, 65 or higher on any version of this exam if they take the exam while in 7th or 8th grade, or 55 or higher on any version of the exam if they take it while in 2nd-6th grade.
4. Students outside the USA qualify if they score 60 or higher on the International Environmental Olympiad Qualifying Exam while in high school equivalent, 50 or higher if in 7th grade or 8th grade equivalent, or 40 or higher in 5th or 6th grade equivalent, and 30 or higher if in 2nd-4th grade equivalent.
Grade equivalents for the 2023-24 academic year:
9th-12th grade: born 31 August, 2007 or earlier
7th-8th grade: born 1 September, 2007 to 31 August, 2009
5th-6th grade: born 1 September, 2009 to 31 August, 2011
4th grade and younger: born 1 September, 2011 or later
5. Students outside the USA also qualify if they qualify for the Canadian Championships, European Championships, or Asian Championships of the International Science Bee during the 2022-23, 2023-24, or 2024-25 academic years. They can do this through the Championships Qualifying Exams or through a regional quiz tournament.
Note 1: Regardless of when students finish schooling / homeschooling for a year, the cutoff to determine grades is June 23. Students are considered to be in their grade that they were in during the academic year that ends in May or June until the end of that day, and thenceforth in their subsequent grade.
Note 2: Students must be in 3rd grade-12th grade during the 2024-25 academic year to attend IESO.
Note 3: Students in Canada do not use the grade equivalents as listed here, but rather their actual grades just as students in the USA do.
Buzzer Competitions
Zoology Bee
Environmental Science Bee
Caribbean Environmental Geography Bee
Exam Competitions
Oceanography Exam
Natural Disasters Exam
Rain Forest Exam
Fieldwork and Other Competitions
Great Trading Game
Tropical Ecology Fieldwork
Puerto Rico Climate Change Task Force
United Nations Environmental Programme Simulation
Renewable Energy Research Competition
Family Activities and Field Trips
Family Quiz Night
Beach Ecology Field Trip
Birds of Puerto Rico Trip
Puerto Rican Spanish Lesson
El Yunque National Forest Trip
Rainforest Alliance Coffee Tasting
Visit to El Morro Castle and Old San Juan
T-Mobile Family Entertainment District
Snorkeling Trip
Bioluminescent Bay Night Kayak Trip