Welcome to The Panini Linguistics Olympiad!
The PLO 2026-2027 cycle has started! Registration for Round 1 is open from 19 September to 20 November 2026, and the Round 1 examination will be held on 29 November 2026 at centres across India. Head to the registration page for fees and tracks, and to the eligibility page to check which contest you can take.
Hall tickets for PLO 2027 Round 1 are out! Download yours →
PLO 2027 Round 1 results are out! Sign in to check yours →
About the Olympiad
PLO is a <- fun, exciting, educational, challenging, puzzling, linguistic -> competition for students studying in grades 6th to 8th (Juniors) and 9th to 12th (Seniors). This competition helps foster problem solving, computational thinking and appreciation for the linguistic diversity and linguistics in general.
Here, you can challenge your mind against puzzles in logic, language and linguistics, from deciphering flower formulae to tracking the evolution of Nna. To actually get on solving these, you don’t need to have any prior knowledge of Linguistics or languages!
Yes! you totally read that right, to know more, continue to What is PLO?
From the Panini Linguistics Olympiad, the top performing students are selected to represent India at the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL). From the official website:
“The IOL is one of 12 International Science Olympiads for secondary school students, and has been held annually since 2003. Each year, teams of young linguists from around the world gather and test their minds against the world's toughest puzzles in language and linguistics.
No prior knowledge of linguistics or languages is required: even the hardest problems require only your logical ability, patient work, and willingness to think around corners.”
Continued at What is IOL?
Registration
Students can register through one of three tracks: Regular, for English-medium students; Access, for regional-language-medium students, students from lower-income families and JNV students; and Group, for schools registering 10 or more students together.
Curious About Solving Linguistic Puzzles?
Join our webinar series to explore the world of linguistics!
Important Dates
PLO 2026-2027 will have two major selection rounds on the journey to the International Linguistics Olympiad.
Round 1 Registration Opens!
19 September 2026
Registration for the first selection round closes on 20 November 2026. Register now.
Round 1 Contest
29 November 2026
A national-level examination for all registered candidates, held at designated centres across India.
Round 1 Results Announced!
15 January 2027
Results of the Round 1 contest and the list of students selected for Round 2 are released.
Round 2 – APLO
March – April 2027
Top participants from Round 1 take part in the Asia Pacific Linguistics Olympiad against students from around the region.
Round 2 – Invitational Camp
May – June 2027
Selected students from across India attend the Invitational Camp in Hyderabad, where they learn linguistics and compete for selection to the International Linguistics Olympiad.
Team India at IOL!
21 – 28 July 2027
The selected participants travel to Thailand to compete in the International Linguistics Olympiad 2027!
Still have questions? Have a look at FAQs
India first competed in the IOL in 2009. See how every Team India has done since then, including the latest results from IOL 2026.
Continued at History@IOL
Let's try one problem
To get a feel, try this sample problem.
K = outermost green layer
C = next whorl
A = next – the yellow dots, and
G the innermost = orange.
The number of elements in the whorl is subscripted.
To view the full solution, find this problem on the Resources page.
Finally, What is Linguistics?
Is it about knowing multiple languages? NO.
Is it about knowing how to become more proficient than anyone else in a single language? NO.
Is it about how AI assistants understand us, how shakkar (Hindi and Urdu for sugar) and sugar actually come from the same origin and how a child learns how to speak? YES.
And we totally did not make this up, don’t believe us?
Go to the What is Linguistics? section and be sure to check out future prospects too!