About the Chemistry Olympiad

The Chemistry Olympiad is a multi-tiered competition designed to stimulate and promote achievement in high school chemistry. The local and U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad competitions are sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Each year, four students are chosen to represent the United States team at the International Chemistry Olympiad competition.

The Chemistry Olympiad consists of the following four stages:

1. Local Chemistry Olympiad Competitions
2. U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Competition
3. Study Camp
4. International Chemistry Olympiad

Rules

Local Chemistry Olympiad competitions are open to all high school students. You must be a U.S. citizen to participate in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad competition.

• See a complete list of rules for the National Chemistry Olympiad

Goals of the Chemistry Olympiad

Goals of the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad are set by a subcommittee of the Society Committee on Education. The Chemistry Olympiad program aims to:

• Stimulate all young people to achieve excellence in chemistry
• Recognize outstanding chemistry students and, in doing so, encourage additional learning at a formative time in their intellectual development
• Recognize the excellent achievement of teachers and the importance of the school environment
• Provide contact between ACS local sections and area schools, and foster interest among professional chemists in teaching chemistry
• Challenge the chemical knowledge and skills of young students in an international arena
• Foster cross-cultural experiences and acquaint students with similarities and differences between themselves and their counterparts from other nations

Sponsors

Since 1984, the ACS Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Chemistry Olympiad Endowment has been the primary sponsor of the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad, with additional support from the:

• U.S. Air Force Academy
• Advanced Chemistry Development
• BrandTech Scientific, Inc.
• Carolina Biological Supply Company
• Holt McDougal/Cengage Learning
• Fisher Scientific
• Flinn Scientific
• McGraw Hill
• Merck Publishing
• Prentice Hall Publishers
• Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Company
• Texas Instruments Incorporated
• Wiley & Sons Publishers

Contact Us

For more information or if you have questions, please email the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad national office at usnco@acs.org or call 202-872-6328 (toll free 800-227-5558 ext. 6328).