New Zealand’s premier physics competition for senior high school students.
The New Zealand Young Physicists’ Tournament, NZYPT, mimics, as close as possible, the real-world processes of scientific research. It adds real world skills in experimental design and fabrication, data modelling, problem solving, presentation, teamwork and concise communication to classroom theory.
Students have almost nine months to research 7 open-ended problems which are relatively easy to reproduce but present unexpected behaviour. They must design and perform experiments, then draw, and defend, conclusions from their experimental outcomes. The aim is not to calculate or reach “the correct answer” as there is no such notion here. They are exploring.
The competition itself involves formal scientific debate between teams of three students about their research. Their presentations and conversations are evaluated by a jury of physics teachers, postgraduate students and university lecturers. The highest accumulated score over three competition rounds wins.
The Tournament is organised by NZ Young Physicists’ Trust, registered charity CC62496. The Trust also uses the problems as the basis of a separate competition for individual students that selects a five student NZ Representative team that competes in the International Young Physicists’ Tournament, (IYPT) in July. In July 2026, IYPT will be in Zurich, Switzerland.
The 2026 Tournament is underway
The draft schedule for both the NZYPT 2026 Tournament and the selection of the New Zealand Representative Team for the 39th IYPT in Zurich, Switzerland, is available here.
The seven problems for the 2026 New Zealand Tournament are here.
Please note that this year Rep Team selection will take place BEFORE the schools’ Tournament to maximise team preparation time. Video entries need to be submitted by February 14th 2026. The video entry is free but restructed to NZ residents or citizens attending a MoE recognised high school or who is registered as home schooled.
Despite increasing numbers of schools participating, we don’t yet have the numbers for regional rounds. In 2026, the schools Tournament will again be in Auckland, this time over two days, March 21st AND March 22nd. The fee will be kept at the 2024 level of $135 per team.
There will be some online support for teachers and students thorugh January, February and March to help people prepare.
The 2026 schools tournament is also the start of the selection process for the 2027 NZ Representative team. Year 12 students who peromform strongly in March will be invited to join a development squad that will work towards this. It won’t be the only path to selection as we still need accomodate students who don’t have a school team. Video selection will still be needed and just being in the development squad is no guaratee of selection. But it should improve the students cahnces of selection.
TEACHERS please express an interest here in this to be kept up to date with news of NZYPT 2026
The World Cup of Physics is coming to Auckland!
The Trust has won the hosting rights to the 40th International Young Physicists’ Tournament, often called the “World Cup of Physics” . It takes place between the 5th and 12th of July, 2027 in Auckland and will see teams from about 40 couturies compete. We are currently sorting out venues for the 400 or so overseas participants and will of course keep everyone up to date on progress. Please contact us if you want to help.
Like all world cups, we hope the excitement of the event will raise awareness and participation, while the infrastructurewe put in place will support the school team competition for years afterwards. Our long term goal remains enriching high school physics through the Tournament and other events. Watch this space!
ACCELERATE!
From Particles to People: Jennifer Randle’s Journey from Physics to Public Health
Alumni Dr Jennifer Randle and her team were finalists in the International Young Physicists’ Tournament in Austria 2010. They placed third, winning gold medals. Read how IYPT gave Jennifer the intense scientific debating and examination skills, that are essential to her profession as a public health physician.
Congratulations the 2025 New Zealand Rep Team
who won honorable mention medals after a very disrupted travel and final training camp curtesy of the Doha missile strikes. Their 19th place of 35 teams place was only one short of a bronze medal and placed us the ahead of Australia, the UK and the USA.
The team are
Alan Chen – St Kentigern’s College, Auckland
Audrey Kung – Queen Margaret’s College, Wellington
Zhuiuan (Jason) Tao – Westlake Boys High School, Auckland
Yujin (Julia) Sung – St. Cuthbert’s College, Auckland
Kayden Liu – Kristin School, Auckland
Also in the picture are team leaders Daniel Shi (Poland 2019) and Eric Coufmann (Singapore 2017).
Privacy Policy: You can read our Privacy Policy, as it applies to this website, here.