Australia loves language puzzles: The Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad (OzCLO)

Abstract

The Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad (OzCLO) started in 2008 in only two locations and has since grown to a nationwide competition with almost 1500 high school students participating in 2013. An Australian team has participated in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) every year since 2009. This paper describes how the competition is run (with a regional first round and a final national round) and the organisation of the competition (a National Steering Committee and Local Organising Committees for each region) and discusses the particular challenges faced by Australia (timing of the competition and distance between the major population centres). One major factor in the growth and success of OzCLO has been the introduction of the online competition, allowing participation of students from rural and remote country areas. The organisation relies on the goodwill and volunteer work of university and school staff but the strong interest amongst students and teachers shows that OzCLO is responding to a demand for linguistic challenges.