International Radiochemistry Olympiad
The world's first competition dedicated entirely to radiochemistry. Two rounds, fully online — free to enter Round 1. Open to high school and university students worldwide.
Round 1 is free and open to all. Top scorers advance to the Final.
Your path in IRCHO
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1
Register
Create your free entry. We email you the Round 1 problem set on the opening day.
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2
Round 1 — solve & submit
Work on the problems independently for up to one month. Submit your solutions as a PDF before the deadline.
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3
Round 2 — Final
Qualifying participants are invited to the Final — a monitored online session with advanced problems. All finalists receive a physical certificate signed by our Scientific Advisor.
Edition I · 2026 — schedule
All times are UTC. Session times for the Final are confirmed in the invitation email.
- R1 Round 1 opens — registration & problems
- R1 Round 1 submission deadline
- R1 Round 1 results announced
- R2 Round 2 registration window
- R2 Round 2 — Final
- R2 Final results & awards announcement
- ✉ Physical certificates dispatched worldwide
Schedule is subject to minor changes. Registered participants are notified by email before any update takes effect.
Built around one field.
Radiochemistry sits at the intersection of nuclear physics, analytical chemistry, and medicine. It shapes how we treat cancer, generate clean energy, and monitor the environment. Yet no international olympiad has ever been dedicated to it — until now.
- The only international olympiad dedicated entirely to radiochemistry
- Open to high school and university students — no national selection required
- Awards and physical certificates for top performers, mailed worldwide
- Problems reviewed by an active radiochemistry researcher prior to publication
Radiochemistry has no olympiad of its own. Until now.
What you will be tested on
Radioactive decay and decay chains
Half-life, decay series, activity and equilibrium calculations
Nuclear reactions and transmutation
Reaction equations, Q-values, fission and fusion basics
Radiation dosimetry and safety
Units, dose calculations, shielding and protection principles
Nuclear analytical techniques
Gamma spectrometry, activation analysis, interpretation of detector data
Applications in medicine, energy and environment
Radiopharmaceuticals, reactor chemistry, environmental radioactivity monitoring
The first step is free.
Round 1 is open to all students worldwide. No selection required.