About
"There is no friend as loyal as a book."
— Ernest Hemingway
What is the
International Literature Olympiad?
The International Literature Olympiad is the benchmark of literary achievement. We challenge students from around the world to show us how well they can interpret and critique plays, novels, poetry, and nonfiction with intellectual precision.
Leading professors and acclaimed literary experts have come together to give students an opportunity to truly showcase their understanding of the written word.
The International Literature Olympiad is an individual competition and is entirely online. Strong essays will:
Show research
Evaluate the nuances of the text
Articulate the literary devices used
Explore various avenues of literature
The regional competition will be an analytical essay of Shakespearean monologues and dialogues. On the launch day three prompts are sent to participants from the selection on our Resources page, participants choose one and submit their work before the deadline.
After the regional round, finalists from each region advance to the international round where they they are prompted to discuss the importance and impact of a literary era, specific instructions are sent on the launch date. Submissions must be in essay format and include a bibliography. See Guidelines and Rules for more details.
Submission have a 1000 word limit for the regional round and a 1500 word limit for the international round. See Guidelines and Rules for more details.
Participating Countries
USA
Ecuador
Canada
Cyprus
United Kingdom
India
Switzerland
Australia
Peru
Hong Kong
Singapore
Colombia
Malaysia
Brazil
The finalists of the regional round placed in the top 1.8% this year.
The International Round finalist placed in the top 0.36% this year.
We congratulate all of our participants for an exceptional Literature Olympiad. Register below to join next year’s International Literature Olympiad.
"Olympiads give students opportunities to show depth in their academic interest outside of the classroom and help admissions officers recognize the applicant’s passion for their area of study.
At highly selective universities, it is increasingly common for the top admitted applicants to boast multiple international and national honors which can be harder to find for humanities students. "
— Ria Jagasia, Former Johns Hopkins Admissions Officer
Judges Panel
With great pleasure we present the judges that will be reviewing the 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 International 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.
Dr. Elena Gerola West
PhD, Comparative Literature and Translation- University of Bristol
MA, Modern Languages, Distinction - University of Bristol, UK
BA (Hons), English and French, First Class - University of Northampton, UK
Dr. Elena Gerola West is the author of Representations of Language Learning and Literacy: How to Read Literacy Narratives (2024). Her main research is in literary theory and the interpretation of literary texts about language and literacy acquisition. Dr. West has since taught academic writing in UK universities and is a mentor for high-school students who wish to write university-level research papers.
Holly Morgan
BA and MA, English - University of Cambridge
Postgraduate Diploma, Mountview Academy of Performing Arts
Holly is a writer, Shakespeare actress, BBC Radio host, and a consultant with over a decade of experience in education, bringing to our judges panel a blend of artistry and craft with her creative background and education.