The 25th Korean Young Physicists' Tournament (KYPT 2026)

Incheon National University announced that the 25th Korean Young Physicists' Tournament (KYPT 2026), in which high school students from across the country participated, was successfully concluded on the 5th after a four-day, three-night schedule at the university’s Songdo Campus. The event was organized by the university’s Institute of Infinite Imagination.

Launched in 2001 and marking its 25th anniversary this year, KYPT is a debate-based physics competition in which students directly investigate open-ended physical phenomena and logically demonstrate their findings. The tournament places emphasis on the process of discovering answers through actual experimental data that students design and produce themselves.

Among 32 teams that applied nationwide, 24 teams advanced to the final round after a rigorous research report review. Based on research data accumulated over the past six months while tackling 14 challenging physics problems, participants engaged in sharp logical debates and responded in real time to critical questions from opposing teams, demonstrating the completeness and rigor of their research.

A panel of 32 physics professors from across the country served as judges, conducting four rounds of competition. As a result, three teams—Hana Academy Seoul (Team ForMAT), Incheon Academy of Science and Arts (Team Frisbee), and Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (Team Hyeum Narae Senior)—advanced to the final round. In the final match, Team ForMAT from Hana Academy Seoul won the championship.

Soo-bong Choi, Chair of the KYPT Organizing Committee and professor at Incheon National University, stated, “KYPT is a process of learning the fundamental integrity of science by confronting problems independently and proving results through one’s own efforts,” adding, “The intellectual experience gained through direct experimentation and debate will become a core asset for the future leaders of Korea’s scientific community.”

Among the award-winning teams that participated in the final round, national team selection will be completed in March. Students selected as national representatives will undergo four months of research training, including instruction and residential sessions, before participating in the International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT), which will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, in July 2026 and conducted in English.

KYPT is hosted by the Korean Physical Society and organized by the KYPT Organizing Committee, with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity, the Lottery Commission, and Incheon National University.

Further details regarding KYPT and the national team selection process can be found on the official website ([http://www.kypt.or.kr/](http://www.kypt.or.kr/)).

Inquiries: Institute of Infinite Imagination, Incheon National University (032-835-8077)