June 27-30, 2026, Istanbul Atatürk Science High School İstanbul Turkiye

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

The Turkish Physical Society (TPS) will be host and organize the 8th Balkan Physics
Olympiad – 2026 BPO8 under the auspices of the Balkan Physical Union (BPU). The
competition will be held under the auspices of the Balkan Physics Union (BPU) and is
supported by the European Physical Society (EPS), Turkish Ministry of Education Istanbul Atatürk Science High School, Maltepe University, Nişantası University and Sani Şener Foundation.

The BPO8–2026 competition will bring together students from ten BPU member countries—Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and Türkiye—as well as students from “Guest Countries” approved by the BPU Executive Board.

According to the Competition Regulations, each country can be represented by a team of 4 students born after January 1st, 2009, or with maximum 3 months before this date, if they are part of the same year of study as the students accepted according to the above-mentioned age limit.

The teams will be accompanied by 2-3 mentors appointed as leader, co-leader and member of the Scientific Committee (SC) from 10 Balkan Countries, Guest Countries may be represented by observers.

The competition will consist of a single test with 4 problems. The official language is English, but the problems will be translated by one of the accompanying teachers and students can write the test in the official language of their country Physical presence (on-site) is mandatory for those who want to participate in the competition.

A participation fee of 200 EUR per person will be charged for students, team leaders, and coleaders from BPU member countries and the guest countries (Scientific Committee members are exempt).

For participants from Guest Countries as observers, the participation fee will be 600 EUR per person.

These fees fully cover accommodation and meals during the event. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the participating countries.

All information regarding the event—including rules, curriculum, and important dates—can be found on the Balkan Physical Union website: https://balkanphysicalunion.info

We kindly ask the designated representative of each country to confirm the number of participants (students, team leaders, Scientific Committee members, and observers) by 15 April 2026 via email to bpo8.tfd@gmail.com, and copied the message to thr presents of BPU Prof. Dr. Sofoklis Sotiriou (sotiriou@ea.gr).

The deadline for the submission of problems by BPU member countries is 15 May 2026. All problems should be submitted to the Chair of the Scientific Committee, Prof. Dr. Ertan Güdekli (gudekli@istanbul.edu.tr). Submitted problems should be clear, original, and appropriate for the level of a Balkan Physics Olympiad. Each problem must include: a complete and detailed solution, a clear statement in English, any necessary figures or diagrams, and where appropriate, a brief marking scheme. Problems should preferably be submitted in editable electronic format.

The deadline for submitting the registration form, including full information about
participants—full name, gender, role, etc., for student, team leader, Scientific Committee member, or observer—along with the participation fees, is 15 May 2026.
We look forward to seeing you in İstanbul (Türkiye).