IDO 2020

• The Internationale Deutscholympiade (IDO) is the world's biggest German language contest. It is held this year from 3–7 August in an innovative virtual format with ample opportunity for participants to get acquainted online. This year’s motto is "Be there! – The IDO comes to you.” Over 100 high school students from over 50 countries will be meeting up online for this year’s finals.  
• The winners of the national qualifying rounds (Nationale Deutscholympiade) are invited to demonstrate their German language skills at three levels (A2, B1 and B2) at the IDO. Communication skills and creative teamwork also count in the final scores in the contest.
• The object of the IDO is to promote young talents around the world and encourage young people abroad to learn German, to bolster mutual tolerance for other cultures and open doors to German culture and civil society for the participants. In this way, the contest also serves to promote Germany as a location for education and business.
• The IDO finals take place at a different Goethe-Institut location in Germany every two years. In recent years, the IDO was held in Dresden (2008), Hamburg (2010), Frankfurt (2012 and 2014), Berlin (2016) and Freiburg (2018). This year it is going to be held in a virtual Dresden-themed format.

• The next IDO will be held this year from 3–7 August in an innovative virtual format with ample opportunity for participants to get acquainted online. This year’s motto is "Be there! – The IDO comes to you.”
• Over 100 high school students from over 50 countries will be meeting up online for the finals this summer.
• Unfortunately, it won’t be possible to hold a special online seminar for German teachers this year.
   

High school students who have qualified at A2, B1 or B2 level in a Nationale Deutscholympiade (NDO), or any other accredited national selection procedure, are eligible to compete in the IDO. Contestants must be between 14 and 17 years of age.

The following persons are not eligible to take part in the IDO:

• Students whose mother tongue is German or who have at least one native German-speaking parent.
• Students who have lived for more than six months at a time in a German-speaking country.
• Students at German schools abroad or private schools whose principal language of instruction and communication is German.
• Students who are already of legal age (18 or older).
• Students already enrolled to study at a university.
• Students who provide false information about themselves will be disqualified and/or stripped of their titles.
• Two contestants per country, whether at the same or different language levels, may compete in Dresden.

• The winners of the qualifying rounds in each participating country’s national contest (Nationale Deutscholympiade) may then represent their country in the finals in Germany.
• Students can sign up for their Nationale Deutscholympiade through their school or their German teachers.
• See the Goethe-Institut website for information about competing in a Nationale Deutscholympiade. Bear in mind that not every country takes part in the IDO. If it is not clear whether a Nationale Deutscholympiade is held in your country, inquire at your nearest Goethe-Institut. If there is no Goethe-Institut or Goethe-Institut liaison office in your country, you can register through your country’s national German teachers’ association or the International Association of German Teachers. For more information, see the corresponding German teachers’ association websites.
• You can sign up for your Nationale Deutscholympiade through your school or your German teachers.
• For further information, inquire at your local Goethe-Institut.

The language training departments at Goethe-Instituts abroad are responsible for organizing their Nationale Deutscholympiade in concert with the German teachers’ association and other local partners.

• Contact your local Goethe-Institut to register for the Nationale Deutscholympiade. Each country is responsible for organizing its Nationale Deutscholympiade in detail, so we cannot provide any universally applicable information here.
• Nationale Deutscholympiade can sign up for the Internationale Deutscholympiade at a Goethe-Institut or Goethe-Institut liaison office abroad.

• The participants will be virtual guests in Dresden for five days. The winners of the qualifying rounds will be vying there to rank among the world’s top three German learners at three different levels of proficiency. But the IDO isn’t just about language skills: it’s also about intercultural and interpersonal skills, about your ability to work in an international team.
• The participants can look forward to interesting workshops, getting to know Dresden through innovative formats for exchange with other young people and Dresden acquaintances, virtual tours, an interesting cultural programme and the Olympic ideals of peaceful coexistence, fair play and the rich diversity of the world’s cultures.

Participation in the IDO is funded by the Goethe-Institut’s scholarship programme.

• The two winners of the Nationale Deutscholympiade in each country qualify for the online IDO finals. The Goethe-Institut will cover the costs of the digital icebreaker event, the band’s appearance and a wide-ranging programme of cultural events etc.
• The prizes at this year’s IDO are trips to Germany, including German courses at the Goethe-Institut in Dresden after the Corona Pandemic, expected in 2021.