About ILC

Linguistics is the scientific study of language—how it works, how it's structured, and how it shapes human communication. From analyzing sound patterns to decoding meaning across cultures, linguistics empowers us to understand one of humanity's most fundamental abilities. Our world needs curious minds to explore language diversity, develop communication technologies, and preserve linguistic heritage for future generations.

Vision, Mission, and Values

The International Linguistics Challenge provides students with a platform to challenge their analytical and pattern-recognition skills, explore diverse linguistic concepts, and delve into the fascinating science of language beyond standard curricula. We believe that combining education with engaging challenges can inspire students to develop a lasting passion for linguistics, potentially leading to rewarding careers in language research, computational linguistics, translation, or language education.

The International Linguistics Challenge strives to be accessible to all students from all countries, regardless of their background, school, or institution: all you need is curiosity about language, logical thinking, pen and paper, and English reading comprehension to participate!

What makes ILC unique?

While competition is an element of ILC, our core mission is to cultivate genuine engagement with linguistics, sparking curiosity and encouraging deeper exploration of language and related fields. ILC is a learning journey, enabled by diverse problem formats that enhance understanding through analytical thinking. Key aspects that distinguish ILC include:

• Internationality: From the very first round, ILC is a truly global event. All participants tackle the same linguistic challenges, ensuring fair assessment and fostering international connections often reserved for elite national teams.
• Digital Accessibility: We harness the power of the internet to open participation to students everywhere, regardless of geographic location or school affiliation. While teacher guidance is valuable, motivated individuals can participate independently from anywhere.
• Broad Exploration of Linguistics: ILC explores the breadth of linguistic science. We focus on analytical and logical thinking, covering areas such as syntax, semantics, phonetics, morphology, pragmatics, historical linguistics, language typology, and discourse analysis.
• Real-World Language Data: ILC problems often incorporate authentic language data from diverse languages worldwide, offering participants exposure to linguistic diversity and real-world language phenomena.
• Adjusted Difficulty Curve: Our problems range from accessible, foundational tasks to more challenging, research-oriented problems, ensuring an engaging and stimulating experience for participants of all levels.
• Online Tools for Educators: We equip teachers and schools with resources and a dedicated interface for managing student submissions, tracking results, accessing certificates, and supervising the Final Round exam.
• Local Communities & Ambassadors: ILC encourages the creation of local groups and communities focused on linguistics. Our Ambassador Program empowers students and mentors to inspire peers and organize local meetups and events.

How does ILC compare to other linguistics competitions? (e.g., IOL)

Comparing the International Linguistics Challenge to established competitions such as the International Olympiad in Linguistics (IOL) can be misleading: ILC does not intend to replace or compete with these prestigious contests but rather serves as a complementary program that engages a broad range of students.

Like many linguistics competitions, ILC emphasizes problem-solving through language analysis and pattern recognition. However, our mission is centered around education and accessibility, encouraging students to discover the fascinating complexity of language through structured challenges that promote deeper understanding rather than focusing solely on competitive rankings.

ILC prioritizes learning, curiosity, and accessibility, offering problem formats that develop analytical skills while revealing the beauty and logic underlying human language.

History, Organization, and Funding

The International Linguistics Challenge is coordinated by Edu.Harbour. Launched to provide an impactful opportunity for aspiring linguists and language enthusiasts, it builds on successful educational initiatives in other scientific fields.

The full organizing team of ILC 2025 can be found on this page: Organizing Team of 2025.

Organizing such an international competition involves considerable expenses, including human resources, technical infrastructure, and educational materials. As an independent and globally accessible program, ILC is grateful to its sponsors for covering some of these expenses. The remaining costs are funded through participant contributions, such as the registration costs for the Pre-Final Round (Flyer).

As a new initiative, ILC continues to evolve and improve each year to enrich the participant experience and expand its positive impact worldwide.