PLO 2026 Timeline

PLO 2026 will have 2 major selection rounds. We also have a special Puzzle Lab for people hoping to get started with their Linguistic Olympiad journey. Dates in the timeline are tentative and subject to change.

Timeline

Round 1 Registration Opens

13 November, 2025

This is the first selectional round for PLO. Top participants from this round will be eligible for Round 2. So don't wait and register!

Register Now!
Timeline

Round 1 Registration Closes

28 January 2026

Last date to register for the contest.

Timeline

Round 1 Contest

02 February 2026

Time to put on your thinking caps and solve some fun linguistics puzzles!

Timeline

Round 1 Result

14 March, 2026

Round 1 result is announced!

Timeline

APLO 2026

20 April, 2026

Top participants from Round 1 are eligible to participate in APLO 2026 to compete against people from all over the world. This is not the final selection round for the Indian Team.

Timeline

Round 2 and Camp

May 2026

Top participants from Round 1 get to take part in an Invidational Camp in Hyderabad where they learn linguistics and key tips and tricks. Particpants then will get a chance to take part in Round 2, which would help select the top 8 students to represent the Indian team at IOL 2026.

Timeline

IOL 2026

July 2026

Top 8 participants from Round 2 are selected to reprsent India at IOL 2026.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. If you are enrolled in school, then the category for which you are eligible is determined by the grade in which you are studying. If you are studying in grade 6, 7, or 8, you are eligible to appear for the Junior contest. If you are studying in grade 9, 10, 11, or 12, you are eligible to appear for the Senior contest. However, if you have attended the Invitational Round Camp in any previous year, you can appear only in the Senior contest.
    1. You must carry an official school photo ID that states your name, school name, and grade in which you are studying (or date of birth), and has a photograph of you.
  2. If you are not enrolled in school, the category in which you are eligible to participate is determined by your age. Your category will be decided by the equivalent grade that you'd otherwise belong to.If you have attended the Invitational Round Camp in any previous year, you can appear only in the Senior contest.
    1. You must carry a government-issued photo ID (Aadhaar card, passport, etc.) that states your name, and date of birth, and has a photograph of you.
  3. Contestants who have represented India at IOL 2025 are eligible for direct entry to the Invitational Round camp and need not appear for the Round 1 contest.
  4. Contestants who are not citizens of India are eligible to participate in the Round 1 contest provided they reside in India and are enrolled in a school in India.

Important Points

  1. If you could not register for PLO in time, you can also register yourself at the nearest center on the exam day, as a "walk-in" applicant, share registration details and pay the fees equivalent to the standard registration fees for that year, at the center itself.
  2. Once the registrations get done, a tentative list of students and their roll numbers will be posted on the website itself, keep checking the website for further updates!

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about the contest.

  1. How does a student register for the competition?
    • The registration for PLO isn't open yet. We will update the website once it is.
  2. What knowledge and skills do I need?
    • In short: You definitely need a fresh brain, couple of pencils and pens and a lot of patience!
    • Longer version: You mostly need logical thinking, as well as general awareness of directions, calendars, etc. You do not need prior knowledge of linguistics, computer science, programming, or foreign languages.
  3. How long is the Round 1 contest?
    • The contest will last for 4 hours.
  4. How many problems should I expect?
    • Expect around 6–8 problems in the contest booklet.
  5. Where can I find example problems and related reading materials?
    • You can find some reading materials under the Resources tab.
    • Note that these are not required reading to participate.
    • You can also find past problems under the Resources tab.
    • You can find even more problems by going to the other Linguistics Olympiads section below or by surfing the web. 😉