XX  International  Astronomy  Olympiad

Kazan (Tatarstan, Russia), October 15-23, 2015.
 

Information  before  the  Olympiad

• Deadlines

  • Pre-application. Short reports.
    
    For regularly participating countires:
    
    As an obligatory preparing for the application a short report of National Olympiad of the current year has to be presented by the applicating team (see the necessary actual points of the report, its form and examples in the Supplementary Instructions N 10). The report with texts of all problems used during all-national stages (including ones during the possible preparing camps) of the National Olympiad should be done in one of the official languages of the Olympiad (English or Russian). The final minutes (protocols written in Latin or Cyrillic) of the Olympiad (evaluating of solutions of the students participated in the last stage of the Olympiad) should be included as well.
    
    For new participaing countries:
    
    For new participaing countries and the countries, starting their activity at the International Astronomy Olympiad (see the Supplementary Instructions N 3), presenting the short report is optional. Nevertheless, some infromation about the system of the National Olympiads would be helpful for the IAO Committee.
    
    Pre-application and short report:
    
    
    According to the IAO-regulations the report to be presented 5 weeks before the application.
    Pre-application is desirable earlier or at least together with the short report.
    According to the information above the regular deadline for receiving the short reports of Nationals Olympiads of the current year (with a set of all problems used on the National Olympiads) is defined as:
    • 13 plus 5 = 18 weeks before the Olympiad (as per the rules):
      June 10, 2015.
    • moved to 16 weeks before the Olympiad (according to common solution of OAC and LOC):
      June 24, 2015, 24h of local time (UT+3).
    (The first requirement for regular accommodation fees.)
    E-mail for sending the pre-applications and reports.

  • Resolution.
    
    
    Not later than in five weeks after receiving the report the Chairman of the Olympic Advisory Committee will issue resolution about possibility for the country to send full (or not full) team to the IAO (i.e. solution about the representation quota: according to # 5.2.1. or to # 5.2.2. of the Statutes/Regulations the team may be form). In cases the decision for some team is not clear the Chairman organizes discussion in the Olympic Advisory Committee for the common issue.
    After receiving the resolution ANRAO may send application.

  • Applications. Personal data for visas.
    
    
    • Visa necessary for team members.The deadlines for receiving by LOC all application documents, personal data and scans of passports of proposed participants and leaders (maybe with some extra persons for reserve) for asking invitations valid for Consulates (i.e. invitations for Russian visas) are:
      • Regular deadline:
        13 weeks before the Olympiad (as per the rules):
        July 15, 2015, 24h of local time (UT+3).
      (The second requirement for regular accommodation fees.)
      • Late application deadline:
        9 weeks before the Olympiad:
        August 12, 2015, 24h of local time (UT+3).
      (Accommodation fees as per late application.)
      E-mails for sending applications with the data. Please, use both e-mails.
      E-mail of LOC to be published later.
      
      
    • For other teams (visa or official invitation for visa not necessary) the deadline for receiving by LOC all application documents, personal data and scans of passports or any identification documents of proposed participants and leaders (maybe with some extra persons for reserve) moved to:
      • Regular deadline:
        10 weeks before the Olympiad:
        August 5, 2015, 24h of local time (UT+3).
      (The second requirement for regular accommodation fees for non-visa teams.)
      • Late application deadline:
        7 weeks before the Olympiad:
        August 26, 2015, 24h of local time (UT+3).
      (Accommodation fees as per late application.)
      E-mails for sending applications with the data. Please, use both e-mails.
      E-mail of LOC to be published later.




• The main points for formation of the teams

  • 4.5.1. The Olympiad participants are not supposed to study at any institutions of higher education (university or school which can be considered technical colleges). Students who finished their school examination in the year of the Olympiad cannot be members of a team even if they did not start university studies.
  The (age) groups are defined by rules 4.5.2-4., i.e.:

  • 4.5.2. Croup Alpha (the junior group) (conjunction of all points):
    • 4.5.2.1. Students, never participated in IAOs before.
    • 4.5.2.2. Participants not older than 15.00 years on January 1, 2015 (i.e. born in 2000 or later).
    • 4.5.2.3. The last Form educating student cannot participate in the junior group.
  • 4.5.3. Group Beta (the senior group):
    • 4.5.3.1. For the students never participated in IAOs before: Participants not older than 18.00 years on January 1, 2015 (i.e. born in 1997 or later).
    • 4.5.3.2. For the students one time participated in IAOs before : Participants not older than 17.00 years on January 1, 2015 (i.e. born in 1998 or later).
    • 4.5.3.2. For the students participated in IAOs more than one time: Participants not older than 16.00 years on January 1, 2015 (i.e. born in 1999 or later).
      Note: It is recommended for the countries' internal rules to restrict for every participant the participation in IAOs by two times.
    • 4.5.3.4. The last Form educating student may participate only in the senior group.
  • 4.5.4. Participants of the both groups must be not younger than 14.00 years on December 31, 2015 (i.e. born in 2001 or earlier).
  The age rules presented in table.
  National representation quota at IAO-2015 is (up to) 5 students and 2 team leaders: not more than 3 participants for the group Alpha (younger), not more than 2 participants for the group Beta (senior). Observers are welcome as well.
  Additionally to quota (for the group Beta): IAO I-Diploma winners and II-Diploma prizewinners (at their previous participation in IAO), not older than the age limit, who did not used such a possibility before at IAO or APAO.
  In the case of absence of a National team from a country, the regions, cities and towns or individuals of this country state are responsible (by a special permission) to take part in the 20^th IAO.

  National Astronomy Olympic Committees and interested organizations are welcome to ask more about the 20^th International Astronomy Olympiad.





• Tentative schedule of the Olympiad

  • Wednesday, October 14 - Arriving of some teams
  • Thursday, October 15 - Day of arrival to Kazan
  • Friday, October 16 - Day of opening ceremony
  • Saturday, October 17 - Day of the theoretical round
  • Sunday, October 18 - Day of the observational round
    Please, take into account that it may be too cold at the observational place (see weather forecast), and some of the pedestrial roads there may be wet and not too clean.
  • Monday, October 19 - Rest day, excursions
  • Tuesday, October 20 - Day of the practical round
  • Wednesday, October 21 - Day of excursions
  • Thursday, October 22 - Day of closing ceremony
  • Friday, October 23 - Day of teams departure
  • Saturday, October 24 - Departure of some teams




• Kazan

  • General information about Kazan

  • Accommodation in Kazan - Hotel "Regina Petrovsky" in Petrovsky village forest near the city.

• Climate and weather of Kazan

  • Climate of Kazan - overview

  • Weather forecast for Kazan that seems to be the most detailed and reliable:

    1-3 days, 3-5 days, 5-7 days, 7-9 days, 12 days, 2 weeks, month

  • Past weather in Kazan (in Russian):

    current month, August 2014, September 2014, October 2014, November 2014

  • Geomagnetic forecast for Kazan:

    1-3 days





• Guideline for new participating countries
  
  
• The International Astronomy Olympiad (IAO) Web-site
  
  
• Statutes on the Olympiad
  
  
• Introduction to the IAO
  
  
• Rules and Regulations for a participant of the Olympiad
  
  
• The XI Asian-Pacific Astronomy Olympiad (APAO 2015)
  
  
• Past five International Astronomy Olympiads

The 15^th IAO, Sudak, October 16-24, 2010.

The 16^th IAO, Alma-Ata, September 22-30, 2011.

The 17^th IAO, Gwangju, October 16-24, 2012.

The 18^th IAO, Vilnius, September 6-14, 2013.

The 18^th IAO, Bishkek-Cholpon-Ata, October 12-21, 2014.

 Updated 29.07.2015.

Dr. Michael G. Gavrilov, Founding Chairman of the International Astronomy Olympiad,
ISSP of Russ. Acad. Sci., Academician Ossipyan street 2, 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow region, Russia.

URL: http://www.issp.ac.ru/iao/2015/
e-mail: gavrilov@issp.ac.ru
fax: + 7-(496-52)-28-160