The Qualification Round is the first stage and consists of five chemistry problems: A, B, C, D, and E. The problems encompass a wide range of topics, varying in difficulty and discipline. The problems range from knowledge in chemistry to mathematical calculations to make sure that everyone finds interesting problems to work out!

Points and Submission

The problems will test your chemistry skills. All participants of the Qualification Round will receive participation certificates. Each problem gives 5 points, and you need to score at least 15/17/20 points (Junior/Youth/Senior, see age groups ) to qualify for the Semi-Final Round.

The submission deadline is Sunday, 29 March 2026, 23:59 UTC+0.

In order to avoid connection issues, upload errors, and other problems, please submit your solution before the official submission deadline (29 March 2026). The solution file may be typed digitally (recommended; e.g., TeX), or it may be a clear picture of your handwritten notes. If you have multiple pictures, you may use an online tool to combine the pictures into a single PDF file. Make sure that you write your name, school, city and date of birth correctly! The details will be used for all certificates. There are no fees or registration costs to participate in the Qualification Round.

Announcement of Results

The results of the Qualification Round will be announced on Monday, 13 April 2026. You will receive an e-mail about the results; however, you can also check your participant account for your results, performance report, and certificates online. Please log into your participant account so as not to miss any critical information:

Participants who successfully completed the Qualification Round are eligible to participate in the Semi-Final Round. The round will be more challenging and the problems more engaging!

Problems and Points

The Semi-Final Round consists of a supervised 60-minute exam with three problems, including one that requires you to engage with a real-world chemistry research paper. The problems vary in difficulty, points, and subject:

• 1x Basic Problems (4 Points)
  The Semi-Final Round includes one basic problem (lower difficulty).


• 1x Advanced Problems (6 Points)
  The Semi-Final Round includes one advanced problem (higher difficulty).


• 1x Research Problem (8 Points)
  The Semi-Final Round includes one research problem: This problem requires you to read one short scientific research paper in preparation for the Semi-Final Round Exam and to learn about recent scientific results in order to solve the problem or questions. This will give you the chance to get in touch with real-world scientific research.

It is possible to reach up to 18 points in total. Participants need to score at least 8/10/12 points (Junior/Youth/Senior, see age groups ) to qualify for the Final Round.

Semi-Final Round Process

Phase 1: Preparation
The research paper will be released on Friday, 8 May 2026. All qualified and registered participants will receive the research paper via email and via their participant account. You may use translation tools and AI to help you comprehend the material.

Phase 2: Semi-Final Round Exam
You have from Sunday, 10 May 2026, 00:01 UTC+0, until Tuesday, 12 May 2026, 23:59 UTC+0, to take the 60-minute exam at any point during this period using a computer or phone. The exam must be supervised by a teacher (recommended), or using our online supervision system (see below).

To take the exam, you will log in to the dedicated exam platform. The Semi-Final Round problems will appear on your screen. You can bring blank sheets of paper (not more than twenty) and pens (not more than three) to write down your solutions. The research paper will be available directly in the exam interface.

Phase 3: Answer Scan
After the exam finishes, you will have 10 minutes to upload clear scans of your written solutions using your phone. This step is still supervised.

Supervision Options

The 60-minute exam must be supervised either:

• Option A: Supervision with Teacher (recommended)
  Ask a teacher who meets the following criteria to supervise your exam: Must be employed at a government-accredited school or university, must be currently active (no retired teachers), and must not be related to you. The teacher must register online (see Information for Teachers), and we will approve or reject within a few days. During the exam, the teacher must take a photo of the exam conditions.


• Option B: Supervision without Teacher
  If you do not have a teacher available, you can take the exam from home using the online supervision system. This requires a computer/laptop/phone with webcam (exam device), a phone with camera and microphone (supervision phone), and a valid government-issued ID or passport. You will need to select a timeslot and complete ID verification, room check, and position check steps.

Registration and Costs

If you succeed in the Qualification Round, you can choose to participate in the Semi-Final Round by registering from your participant account.

The registration deadline for the Semi-Final Round is Tuesday, 5 May 2026.

This educational opportunity comes with diverse costs, including those for human resources, technical infrastructure, materials and more. While our sponsors cover some of these expenses, we need to ask participants to cover this year's Semi-Final Round registration costs of 12 EUR to make IChC on an international level possible. Financial aid, including partial and full waivers, is available to assist socio-economically disadvantaged participants: Financial Aid

The registration costs are necessary to provide the resources required to run a competition at this scale, including evaluation, in particular, for the comprehensive Semi-Final Round. There are no other costs involved. You can find detailed information about the registration costs here: Registration Costs Flyer [PDF].

The results of the Semi-Final Round will be announced on Monday, 25 May 2026.

Participants who have solved the Semi-Final Round successfully are qualified to participate in the Final Round: a multiple-choice online exam with 20 questions.

Exam and Points

The Final Round consists of a single supervised exam with around 20 questions requiring knowledge about chemistry, in particular related to the Qualification and Semi-Final Round. The exam takes around 30 minutes and features different problem formats, including short-answer problems and multiple-choice responses. It requires knowledge of all fields of chemistry and the content of all previous rounds. The awards and prizes are given to the Finalists with the most points in the Final Round. If multiple participants have the same score, the points from the Semi-Final Round (and Qualification Round) are used to determine the final winners.

All Final Exams take place on Tuesday, 9 June 2026.

Online Monitoring

Finalists take the exam via a dedicated online exam portal. The online exam is digitally monitored and can be taken from home. Details regarding the exam procedure and monitoring setup will be sent to all qualified participants.

The results of the Final Round will be announced on Monday, 15 June 2026.

Further information on all rounds and the competition can be found here: Official IChC Flyer 2026