Portugal

Minister of Education/Directorate-General of Education

Av. 24 de Julho, n.º 140

1399-025 Lisboa

Portugal

www.dge.mec.pt/

Main Organizer: Ordem dos Biólogos

The Portuguese Biology Olympiad has two categories: A Junior Olympiad for the 9th grade and a Senior Olympiad for the 10-12th grade.

The Senior category consists of 3 rounds. The first round starts with about 10 000 students from over 400 schools (private and public) from the whole country, including the authonomous regions of Madeira and Azores. The final round occurs in a selected University that changes every 2 years and includes the 50 better classified students from the 2nd round.

The first round starts with about 10 000 students from over 400 schools (private and public) from the whole country, including the authonomous regions of Madeira and Azores. The second round selects from 20-25% of those participants and the 3rd round chooses the top 50 students of the second round.

The first second rounds are multiple choice tests. The final is solely with practical tests (3). The organizers produce the tests for the first 2 rounds. The teachers from the selected University produce the practical tests. The students take the first two tests in school, mostly on-line, some in paper. All grading is made by the organizers. The final is made in the Labs of the selected University. So far we've had tests in The University of Lisbon (UL); University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) and University of the Algarve (UAlg).

The training during the period up to the final is up to the students' teachers in secondary schools but is basically the training from normal practical classes. After selection, students have up to 10 days training in Universities and Research Centres chosen according to the subjects of the IBO. Students move around from one University to another during those 10 days.

We provide copies of Campbell's "Biology", tests from previous IBOs and they attend some lectures.

We offer:

Trophys (not medals, but rather trophies with the name of the school and the student and ranking)

Certificates

Awards in the value of around 150€, which may include a Tablet/Photo camera; plus tokens from the sponsors: Tickets to Zoo, Oceanarium, Zoomarine, etc.; backpacks, T-shirts; books; etc.

No money is awarded

NOTE: We also provide trophies, certificates and awards to the teachers of the students

All students from regular schools (schools that follow the Portuguese curriculum) that attend the discipline of Biology (Students from arts or languages that do not attend biology classes can not participate).

This includes both private and public schools. Students form the 9th grade compete in the Junior category, students from the 10th attend the Senior Category but they have a separate exame solely with up to the 10th grade questions.

Students from the 11th and 12th grade attend the Senior Category of the Olympiad, altogether.

School year starts in middle September and ends by the end of June.

Students study about 3 hours/week during 9th grade and 7 hours/week in the last years (11th and 12th)

45-90 minutes

We have a website (http://olimpiadas.ordembiologos.pt/) and we send posters ewvery year to schools and personla letters to the Responsible Teachers

Ordem dos Biólogos

• 2021: 4500 students from 400 schools (23% of eligible schools)
• 2020: 0 students from 0 schools (0% of eligible schools)
• 2019: 20119 students from 655 schools (38% of eligible schools)
• 2018: 20100 students from 634 schools (37% of eligible schools)
• 2017: 19900 students from 654 schools (38% of eligible schools)
• 2016: 19400 students from 603 schools (35% of eligible schools)
• 2015: 19000 students from 581 schools (34% of eligible schools)
• 2014: 17000 students from 568 schools (33% of eligible schools)
• 2013: 14500 students from 575 schools (33% of eligible schools)
• 2012: 14000 students from 220 schools (13% of eligible schools)
• 2011: 4000 students from 117 schools (7% of eligible schools)

The Biology Olympiad is the second larger Science Olympiad in the country in number of students and schools participating (next to the Maths Olympiad)

Newspapers always react and publish teh results of Portuguese students both in IBO and OIAB (Iberoamerican Biology Olympiad). Training and results are sometimes on the news on ational TV. Minister of Education always disseminates the results and greets the students on arrival from IBO or OIAB. The organisers always produce a press release and uses the social media and website to annouce the results of teh students.