12th Singapore Astronomy Olympiad 2025
The Singapore Astronomy Olympiad (SAO) is a national competition on Astronomy and Astrophysics organised with the intent to select candidates to represent Singapore in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA).
Results of the 12th SAO
This year, the SAO saw a record number of 233 participants. The results of the 12th SAO 2025 have officially released, and the list of prize winners may be found at the SAO Hall of Fame (click here to view the full list of prize winners). Congratulations to all prize winners!
All prize winners have also been notified via email regarding the details of the prize presentation ceremony – please look out for an email from the organisers!
We hope that this year’s edition of the SAO has been a fruitful learning experience for all participants, and we hope to see you at next year’s SAO!
IOAA Selection
The top five students from the SAO will be invited to represent Singapore at the 18th IOAA in Mumbai, India. Please note that, according to the organisers of the IOAA, only Singaporean citizens and permanent residents are eligible to represent the country at the event.
Singapore has a long history of participation in the IOAA. We have won awards at every edition we participated in and bagged 4 Gold and 1 Bronze medals at the latest edition in 2025.
IOAA 2025
Congratulations to Team Singapore for their record-breaking performance at the recently-concluded 18th IOAA at Mumbai, India!
Five students from Singapore clinched four gold medals and a bronze at an international Olympiad for astronomy and astrophysics – the country’s best performance in nearly 20 years.
The annual International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, held this year in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, attracted nearly 300 students from over 60 countries. It ran from Aug 11 to Aug 21.
This year, Raffles Institution students Teo Kai Wen, and Lan Shuheng Jerry, and NUS High School students Eng Cheng Le, Ruhan Tasneem Shafa, and Wang Jun Min, 15. represented Singapore at the 18th IOAA.
Photo credit: Mr Yuen Xiang Hao, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science
Syllabus and Resources
The SAO is modelled after the IOAA. Details of the syllabus can be found here:
Previous questions and solutions for the SAO can be found here:
Additional resources for the SAO can be found here:
Format
Round 1
The 2-hour test comprises multiple-choice questions on various topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Round 2
The 4-hour test comprises these components:
- Short & Long Answer Questions
- Data Analysis
- Practical & Observational Astronomy
IOAA
The 16th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) was hosted at Chorzow in Poland from 10th August to 20th August 2023.
The top 5 Gold medalists in the SAO will represent Singapore in the IOAA.
Find out more about the IOAA by visiting the official website below:
