Rules & Tournament Requirements

1. Team Requirements & Composition

• Team must consist of 4 core members (Grade 9–11) + 1 optional member.
• Each team must appoint a Captain and have an official Team Supervisor/Leader.
• All team members must represent the same school or educational lyceum.
• Grade 8 students may be admitted exceptionally by decision of the Organizing Committee, on confirmed olympiad results — send supporting diplomas or certificates to the official e-mail.
• The official language of all competition stages is English.
• All dates and deadlines are given in Almaty time (UTC+5).
• Interdisciplinary balance (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) is strongly recommended.

2. Stage I — Qualification & Case Defence

Online research stage requiring teams to solve a real-world interdisciplinary scientific case and submit a comprehensive technical report.

• Research case published on 11 October 2026
• Problem round 1 — 17 October 2026; problem round 2 — 18 October 2026
• Each round lasts 2 hours and contains 2 STEM problems
• Held on the Formative platform with mandatory proctoring
• Score: 70% research case + 30% the two problem rounds
• The top 24 teams advance to the on-site final

3. Stage II — Final Laboratory Research

On-site practical laboratory tournament with hands-on experiments, data analysis and oral defense. Host city to be announced.

• Qualification Round, 26-28 October 2026, for 24 teams
• Four rounds of scientific battles (Presenter / Opponent / Reviewer)
• Score: 80% scientific battles + 20% the on-site STEM problem round
• The top 8 teams advance to the Final Research Round
• Final Research Round, 29-30 October 2026: laboratory work and defense
• Venue: to be announced

4. Academic Integrity & Safety

Strict adherence to scientific honesty, lab safety procedures, and ethical standards. Plagiarism results in disqualification.

• Zero tolerance for plagiarism or AI-generated unauthorized fabrication
• Mandatory lab safety equipment and protocol adherence during Stage II
• Strict adherence to anti-cheating and peer-collusion rules
• Disqualification upon violation of Article 8 Academic Integrity Code