What is the
International Policy Olympiad?
The International Policy Olympiad invites high school students worldwide to engage critically with the most pressing issues facing the world. The Olympiad challenges participants to explore:
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Complex geopolitics
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Economics
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Sociology
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Ethics
The International Policy Olympiad was created to inspire the next generation of world leaders. Policy isn’t just about theory, it’s about solving real problems. We provide students with the platform to challenge themselves to become confident thinkers, articulate debaters, and global citizens who understand how to shape the world around them.
In the regional round, students will be asked to write a policy-focused essay that demonstrates intellectual originality by formulating a clear argument and defending it with evidence drawn from geopolitics, economics, ethics, political theory, diplomacy, and philosophy.
Submissions are reviewed not only for clarity and argumentation but for their capacity to propose thoughtful, and actionable solutions.
Participants will submit their essay (with a 1000 word limit, see Guidelines and Rules) and to a Typeform link we will send.
The Olympiad will be entirely online and is not a team competition. It is designed to encourage creativity and promote an in-depth understanding of the different avenues of social science.
Top submissions will advance to the international round where a moderated debate will be held online.
Students will:
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Defend their ideas
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Respond to opposing perspectives
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Research and prepare
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Engage in reasoned dialogue
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Critically think under pressure
The International Policy Olympiad is the academic forum for the best and brightest students around the world.
Submissions will be reviewed by the judges listed below.
"Olympiads give students opportunities to show depth in their academic interest outside of the classroom and help admissions officers recognize the applicant’s passion for their area of study.
At highly selective universities, it is increasingly common for the top admitted applicants to boast multiple international and national honors which can be harder to find for humanities students."
— Ria Jagasia, Former Johns Hopkins Admissions Officer
Judges Panel
With great pleasure we present the judges that will be reviewing the submitted essays and the arguments made during the international round debate. The International Policy Olympiad is proud to have a diverse panel of experts who are professionals in various realms of the social sciences.
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Brenna Salkin
MPhil - Politics and International Studies - University of Cambridge
BA - Human, Social, and Political Sciences, Politics and International Relations - University of Cambridge
After completing her undergraduate degree in Human, Social, and Political Sciences Brenna earned her MPhil degree in Politics and International Studies, during which she worked for the undergraduate admissions office at King’s College, and was the managing editor of the Cambridge Journal of Political Affairs.
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Dr. Hope K. McCoy
Ph.D. in Education, University of California, Los Angeles
M.A. in Education, University of California, Los Angeles
Division of Higher Education & Organizational Change
B.S. in Psychology, Northwestern University
Two-time Fulbright recipient
Hope McCoy is a Lecturer in International Relations and in the Civic, Liberal, and Global Education program at Stanford University. McCoy’s research agenda focuses on the sociocultural dimensions of development studies, with an emphasis on international education, global citizenship, and the role of cultural diplomacy in geopolitics. Dr. McCoy's first book (2023) entitled: "From Congo to GONGO: Higher Education, Critical Geopolitics, and the New Red Scare '' was one of the winners of the Peter Lang Emerging Scholars Competition in Black Studies.
Anna Mark
B.S in Political Science, University of Utah
M.Ed. in Social Foundations of Education, University of Virginia
Education Policy Fellow Alumna, Institute for Educational Leadership
Professional Certificate in Data Science Essentials, University of California, Berkeley
Anna Mark’s research centers on improving educational outcomes for children with disabilities and their families. She has led initiatives at some of the nation’s leading nonprofits, authored 11 white papers and implementation guides, and presented across 15 national, state, and local conferences on special education, instructional quality, and the power of data to drive equitable outcomes.