OzCLO is a problem-solving competition using data from real languages. It has been run by major universities around Australia since 2008.
OzCLO is for students from years 7 to 12 (note that this is a larger range than in previous years! Hooray!). Participants apply logical thinking to discover how languages work. Students who like languages, maths, computers, or natural sciences are likely to be interested. No foreign-language abilities are required; students of all backgrounds are encouraged to participate.
OzCLO takes place over three sessions (the first of which is optional). Note that some of the times and locations are still TBD.
- Optional training session:
- TBD. (Usually takes place on a Wednesday afternoon in mid-February; will be held in person on the UWA campus. we’ll let you know as soon as we are able to get a room confirmed.)
- Round 1, regional competition:
- Wednesday, March 1, 2023
- Exact time TBA. (In 2022 it was held from 10:30 am – 1:30 pm, with the first hour for prep time and the second two for the competition. We will let you know once the times for the 2023 competition are announced.)
- Online only; join from your own school campus
- Round 2, national competition:
- Wednesday, March 22, 2023
- Held in person on UWA campus (time, room, and building TBD)
How it works: Teams consist of four students. Schools can enter as many teams as they wish. All teams complete the same tasks, but they are ranked within their age level: Junior (years 7-10) or Senior (years 11-12). Teams are usually all Junior or all Senior students, though you can certainly enter a mixed-level team if you want; mixed teams compete in the Senior category.
Round 1 (March 1) is the regional (i.e., state) competition. Because it is held online, your students can participate from your school under your supervision, no matter where your school is. The top three Junior and top three Senior teams from this round will go on to Round 2 (March 22), the national competition, which takes place on campus here at UWA.
How to register:
[pdf-embedder url=”https://mltawa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/OzCLO-brochure-2023.pdf” title=”OzCLO brochure 2023″]Registrations will open on Monday, Jan 16 and close on Friday, February 24. The cost is $40 per team. Once registrations open, teachers should go to https://www.ozclo.org.au/registration/ to register themselves and their individual teams. (Note that this page has not yet been updated for 2023.)
(The registration page says to contact your local organiser “if you wish to compete offline.” This only applies to Round 1; if you are able to do Round 1 online, then there is no need to contact anyone. Everyone is strongly encouraged to do Round 1 online.)
How to prepare: In addition to attending the optional training session, you can find training materials on the OzCLO website (https://www.ozclo.org.au/training-materials/).
