“Books are the mirrors of the soul.”
— Virginia Woolf
Welcome to the
International Literature Olympiad
Through a rigorous two round essay competition, the International Literature Olympiad evaluates students from around the world as they compete to demonstrate their passion for literature and understanding of the written word.
Participants will:
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Read
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Evaluate
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Critique
texts and articulate their understanding of some of the greatest works of literature in the world on a global stage.
Students will be expected to evaluate literature such as:
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Ancient Texts
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Shakespeare
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American Literature
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British Literature
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Medieval Literature
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Contemporary Authors
The International Literature Olympiad is entirely online and challenges students to comprehend and articulate the complexities, nuances, and meanings of literature. Win prizes, boost your college application, and have your work published.
Essays are to be submitted via a Typeform link we will send.
How does the Olympiad work?
The International Literature Olympiad is an individual competition where participants compete by exploring, researching, and interpreting the most influential literary works in history. The Olympiad is divided into two stages: Regional and International (see our Guidelines and Rules for more detail).
Regional Round:
Write an analytical essay evaluating one of the texts we will send on the start date of the Olympiad. See our Resources pages for a sample essay.
We will also post the questions on our website.
International Round:
Finalists from each region will be invited to participate in the international essay competition where they will have the opportunity to explore the different realms of literature. See our Guidelines and Rules page for more details.
Students will have 7 days to answer and submit their response. Responses must be in an essay format (see our Guidelines and Rules for more details) and submitted to a Typeform link we will send.
The Olympiad is fully online and designed for individual participants.
Step 2
Receive the questions on the start date and submit your article before the deadline.
Step 3
Submissions are evaluated by our panel of judges who will name the regional winners.
Step 4
Finalists from the regional round will be invited to the International round and sent a new question.
Step 5
3 finalists for the International Literature Olympiad will be announced and have their work featured on our website.
Why You Should Participate
Expert Judges
Participants will have their work reviewed by a distinguished panel of doctoral-level professors, and literary experts.
Prizes
Finalists will receive international recognition, college consulting services, letters of recommendation, and their work will be featured on our website.
Stand Out
An International Literature Olympiad victory is a mark of academic excellence that stands out on any university application.
General Timeline
See our Timeline page for more a more detailed schedule.
June
Registration
July
Olympiad Begins
August
Finalists Announced
Register for the International Literature Olympiad
"The Literature Olympiad provides a great opportunity for these students to showcase their prowess in literary analysis while continuing to build a competitive profile for the college admissions process.”
— Ria Jagasia, Former Johns Hopkins Admissions Officer
Judges Panel
With great pleasure we present the judges that will be reviewing your submitted work. The International Literature Olympiad is proud to have a diverse panel of experts who are prominent members of the literary community.
Our panel of judges represents a wide range of literary expertise, covering everything from poetry, playwriting, prose, critical theory, and world literature, and they’re ready to select this year’s Literature Olympiad finalists.
Dr. Candide Simard
PhD, Linguistics - University of Manchester
MA, Linguistics - The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), UK.
BA, Applied Linguistics (Language and Literature) - Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada
Minor in Spanish - McGill University
As a linguistics expert, Dr. Simard has supervised many MA and PhD projects across topics like syntax and sociolinguistics, and has conducted fieldwork around the world. Her research explores the relationship between language, culture, and the environment, with interests in phonetics, sociolinguistics, language documentation, prosody, and information structure.
Testimonials
"The Literature Olympiad helped me realize I wanted to study English when I got to college. I always liked to read but I never knew I could see my education this way.”
Allison Denning
"The Literature Olympiad helped me stand out in my college applications, even though I was going to study physics. It was the best way I could show my university that I would be a good candidate while still being well rounded. "
Jonas Wu
"It was an honor to compete and to finally have a chance to show universities, companies, organizations, and my family what I was capable of. Honestly, I was glad to have the opportunity because I learned I had what it takes to study liberal arts in a university."
Deborah Jacobs