This July, we supported the 39th International Young Physicists’ Tournament in Zurich. The tournament ran at ETH Zurich and brought together high school students from around the world.

We went because we want to support young talent and the community around it. These students are early in their journey, and events like IYPT are where a lot of them first work on a hard problem with no answer key.

Physics without a fixed answer

IYPT is built around 17 open-ended physics problems, and there are no ready-made solutions. Teams spend months running experiments, testing models, and refining their conclusions before they get to Zurich.

At the tournament, they present and defend their work in “Physics Fights,” where they also challenge other teams’ approaches and field questions from a jury. It is not about reciting the right formula, it is about reasoning in public, under pressure, in front of people who push back. The week ran across five selective rounds and a final, with social events and time to explore the city in between.

The Wincent IYPT Challenge

We also brought a challenge of our own. Contestants could take an online quiz of 15 physics questions, and the goal was simple: answer as many correctly as you can, and be quick about it. The participant with the highest score and fastest time won a MacBook Air.

It was a small side competition, but it fit IYPT well. Think carefully, decide under time pressure, and get to the right answer efficiently.

Why this matters to us

The qualities IYPT rewards are the same ones we look for in our interns. You do not need to know every formula, tool, or market on day one, and we do not expect you to. We care about how you approach an unfamiliar problem, how you test your assumptions, how you take feedback, and how clearly you can explain your reasoning.

That is how our internship works too. We give you real problems, experienced people to work alongside, and room to figure things out, while still expecting you to think independently and own the result.

Thanks to the organizers, volunteers, jurors, and students who made IYPT 2026 happen. If this sounds like your kind of environment, take a look at our internship openings.

Watch the IYPT 2026 aftermovie.