"Ideas shape the course of history. The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones."
- John Maynard Keynes
Welcome to the International Economics Olympiad
Through an analytical essay and an online debate, the International Economics Olympiad challenges students to showcase their grasp on real-world economics on the world stage.
Participants will:
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Evaluate
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Consider
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Articulate and debate
the economic issues we face today.
By answering questions about issues like:
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Wartime sanctions
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Trade tariffs
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Recessions
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Inflations
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The effects of AI and social media.
The International Economics Olympiad is entirely online and offers students from around the world the opportunity to test their insight on the ideas, structures, and forces that shape the global economy.
Essays are submitted via a Typeform link and the debate will take place online as well.
How does the Olympiad work?
The Olympiad is divided into two rounds: Regional and International. The regional round is an essay competition and the international round is a global debate where the regional round finalists are invited to compete.
Regional Round:
Write an analytical essay answering one of three economic questions provided on the olympiad launch date.
Submissions must be within 7 days of the launch date and responses must align with essay format standards (see Guidelines and Rules).
International Round:
Finalists from each region advance to an online economic debate in which they respond to a dynamic economic policy crisis with other finalists.
Students are assigned a nation or international organization such as the IMF or World Bank and debate international economic policy and theory (see Guidelines and Rules for more details).
Step 2
Receive the prompts on the launch date and submit your essay.
Step 3
Submissions are evaluated by our panel of judges who will name the regional winners.
Step 4
Regional finalists take part in the International Economic Olympiad debate.
Step 5
Three international round finalists are announced and their have their work published.
General Timeline
See our Timeline page for more a more detailed schedule.
June
Registration
July
Olympiad Begins
August
Finalists Announced
Why You Should Participate
Expert Evaluation
Recognition & Prizes
Stand Out for Admissions
Submissions and debates are evaluated by economists and professors from leading institutions.
Finalists receive international recognition, letters of recommendation, college consulting services, and have their work published.
Universities select students who exhibit strong academic aptitude, analytical thinking, and a disciplined approach to economic inquiry.
Register for the Olympiad
Dr. Ceyhun Elgin
PhD, Economics – University of Minnesota
PhD Minor, Mathematics – University of Minnesota
MA, Economics – University of Minnesota
BA, Economics – Boğaziçi University, Turkey
BA, Law – Istanbul Şehir University, Turkey
BA, Public Administration – Anadolu University, Turkey
Dr. Ceyhun Elgin is a professor of economics whose research bridges macroeconomic theory with real-world policy, specializing in the informal sector, economic development, and public finance. He has held academic appointments at IMF, World Bank, Boston University, the American University in Bulgaria, and currently serves as Jean Monnet Chair at Boğaziçi University and lecturer at Columbia University. Dr. Elgin has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and led numerous international research projects on fiscal policy.
Judges Panel
Testimonials
"Before the Olympiad, economics was just a school subject to me. After spending a week studying patterns in trade, policy, and numbers, I started to see the world differently."
Maxime Dubois
"I didn’t think I’d enjoy presenting my ideas in front of a panel, let alone in a second language but the Olympiad inspired me to find my voice"
Aanya Shah
"Competing with students from around the world reminded me how connected our decisions are and how one policy tweak in one country echoes somewhere else. It was more than a competition, I got to see the world through the eyes of an economist."
Tariq El-Khalil