Organizer
Junior Philosophy Olympiad
JPO 2026
Confusius & NextGenThe Junior Philosophy Olympiad (JPO) is an English playground on philosophical topics for students from grades 4 to 9 in Viet Nam and internationally, organized by The Olympia Schools.
The theme for 2026 is “Confucius & NextGen.” Contestants will explore and delve into Confucius' philosophies and reflect on how these ancient teachings connect to the questions and challenges young people face today. The competition touches on profound topics centered around Dao (way of life), virtue, and self-cultivation, such as:
- What do people need in order to live harmoniously with others?
- What does “Ren 人” (humaneness) mean in modern life?
- What should a student today cultivate to become a “Junzi 君子” (a noble man)?
- How can we act rightly in difficult or complex situations?
- What are the responsibilities of each individual toward family, community, and society?
- Why are rituals, discipline, and social order important?
- How can we understand ourselves — and understand others?
Through engaging in dialogue with Confucian ideology, contestants will strengthen their abstract thinking, self-reflection, and logical reasoning, while exploring how classical values can become meaningful guidance for NextGen as they make sense of the world — and their place in it.
Participants
Vietnamese and international students can register to participate in groups of 3 and compete in the 2 corresponding boards:
- Griffin board: For students from grade 4-6
- Olympia board: For students from grades 7-9
- Members of a team can come from different ages (within the age range of each board) and are not required to study at the same school.
Locality
Vietnam & international
Competition format
Creative video production, knowledge quiz, collaborative writing and ethics bowl (philosophical discussion)
Competition theme of 2026
Confucius's philosophy
Download
the Competition rules
Round 1
Knowledge Quest
Online Round
After registering, the teams will receive questions for Round 1 and they will submit 90-180 seconds video to answer. The videos will be posted on Facebook Junior Philosophy Olympiad for voting. 70% of scoring points come from the scoring by jury, 30% others come from voting results. In each board, the top 10 teams with the highest scores in Round 1 will move forward to Round 2, which is organized at The Olympia Schools.
Round 2
Being pen
Collaborative Writing Round
The jury will give an essay topic, each member of Top 10 teams will write an individual essay after agreeing with the whole team to choose a topic, ensuring the relation and consistency between the essays of the members in the same team.
Round 3
Ethics Bowl
Ethics Bowl Showcase
Held on the same day as Round 2, after the writing competition, the teams from each group will be paired to compete against each other in a philosophical debate (Ethics Bowl)..
Round 4
Finale
Ethics Bowl Showcase
The top two teams from each group will advance to the finale, where they will compete in an Ethics Bowl on stage to determine the Champion and Runner-Up. The Top 2 teams will be selected based on a combination of 50% of their score from Round 2 and 50% from Round 3.The format of the final round will be similar to Round 3, but with increased difficulty. Round 4 will take place on the same day as Rounds 2 and 3 at The Olympia Schools, Hanoi..
15/12/2025
Launching of the competition
Receiving applications for Round
Jan 2025
Online workshop for contestants: Introduction, instructions and support for selection round.
27/01/2026
Registration deadline for Selection round
02/02 - 08/02/2026
Online voting time for Selection round
March, 2026
Online workshop for contestants: Introduction, instructions and support for qualifying round.
8/3/2026
Qualifying rounds and Final round
Challenge students’ knowledge and skills
All competition rounds require not only contestants’ learning agility but also their diverse subject knowledge and strong academic skills to satisfy their desire to learn and explore profound, humane and philosophical topics..
Cultivate philosophical thinking
Annually, students accompany the competition in their philosophical journey to foster their philosophical thinking, form a solid human outlook, worldview and value system for themselves in their learning and life journey..
Valuable Award
Scholarship awards and valuable gifts.
Improve students’ foreign language skills
Develop and hone students' skills in using academic and creative English language..
Self-development
Practice teamwork skills, critical thinking, and cultivate their reflective capacity..
| Prizes | Olympia Board(Students from grade 7 - 9) | Griffin Board(Students from grade 4 - 6) |
|---|---|---|
01 First prize |
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01 Second Prize |
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03 Third Prizes |
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Dr. Vo Thuc Anh
PhD Linguistics, Nottingham University
Head of English Department at Olympia
Dr. Nguyen Chi Hieu
PhD Economics, Stanford University
Academic Director of The Olympia Schools
CEO & Co-founder, IEG Global
Debate Expert Do Hoang Long
Expert Advisor of The Debaters on VTV7
Mr. Chu Duc An
CEO & Co-founder, Moji Debate Academy
Champion, The Debaters VTV7 (First Season)
Two-time National Debate Champion
Ton Nguyen Minh Uyen
Assistant Production Director, General Director of Educational TV Programs (The Debaters, VTV7 Teen School...) Assistant Executive Director of PTLC Olympia
Assistant to the Executive Director of PTLC Olympia
Pham Thi Hoai Thu
Master of English Language - University of Foreign Languages, Hanoi National University
Assistant to the Executive Director of PTLC Olympia
