The NZYP National Tournament supports the the team to represent NZ at the International Young Physicists’ Tournament. In 2025 this will be held in Lund, Sweden. Solutions to the seven problems set for the national tournament will be assessed to select the team.

NB: Representative team members must be New Zealand Citizens or Permeant Residents.

Students wanting to be considered for a place on the New Zealand team MUST register their interest here. This signs them up to receive the instruction emails about the team selection process that WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED elsewhere.

Students must make a 12 minute video of their best problem and submit it to the link provided by 9.00 pm on Friday 21 March 2025, that is before the national team competition. Late entries cannot be considered. It is preferable, but NOT essential, that students then take part in the national tournament as part of a school team. This will allow students to experience the competition and give them another opportunity to impress.

On March 23rd the selection panel will start assessing the videos entered. They will select a squad of about ten students as the “potentials squad”. The results of this stage of the selection process will be notified to everyone who made an individual entry, and their teachers, by March 30th.

All potential squad members will be given the same additional problem to investigate. They will be asked to present their problem solution online to a panel of judges on 13^th April 2025. This time pressured selection stage will look closely at the students’ presentation, experimental skills and theoretical understanding. In fact, if students have inconsistent results but understand why that happened and can discuss what they would investigate next, they will do well!

The five New Zealand Representative team members will be selected from the potentials squad after these presentations.

Being a member of the New Zealand team is a significant commitment which is explained in depth to students, and their parents, before team membership can be confirmed. Significant preparation time is needed and attendance at the three training camps is compulsory. Camp venues are chosen to minimise travel so the first two camp venues will only be agreed once the team is confirmed. Travelling students will be offered billets but are also welcome to stay with friends or whanau.

• There will be an initial camp on 19/20 April 2025. The focus will be on the team members getting to know each other, meet the team coaches, find out more about the international tournament and to plan the remaining research allocations. Each team member will end up being the “expert” on three of the 17 international problems. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend parts of this camp.
• There will be a three day training camp over the Kings birthday weekend, 31st May to 2^nd June 2025.
• The final training camp will start on 22^nd June 2025 in Auckland before the team leaves for Sweden directly from the camp on approx. 25^th June.

Team members will have to contribute to the cost of travel to the international competition. NZYPT expects, but cannot guarantee, to subsidise this cost. We have for many years received a grant from the Royal Society of New Zealand and have other sponsors. We will also help students with their own fundraising where we can.