Overview
The aim of the Natural Science Olympiad® is to identify and nurture talent in Natural Science, Life Science and Accounting; to increase the number of learners who opt for Physical Science, Life Science, Accounting and Mathematics at high schools; and to act as a feeder for SAASTA’s National Science Olympiad for grades 10 – 12, which is now in its 53rd year.
The aim of the Olympiad is also to help learners prepare for the year’s upcoming natural science syllabus and showcase some of South Africa’s brightest young scientists in the making.
Preparation for the Natural Science Olympiad starts at the beginning of the year, when schools register for the competition and learners start preparing for the examination.
The national paper will be written on 16 May 2019. After that, the national and provincial winners, the top girl learner, the top learner per grade, and the representatives from top performing schools in the different categories visit the National Zoological Gardens and Sci-Enza Science Centre at the University of Pretoria and attend the award ceremony in Gauteng, courtesy of SAASTA.
The competition questions are designed to encourage all learners, those who love science and those who have never been exposed to the fascinating world of science, to take Physical Sciences and Mathematics at high school level and to consider a career in science, engineering or technology.
Enter the 2020 Natural Science Olympiad
- The entry fee for both the National and Natural Science Olympiads is R35.00 per learner per paper.
- Learners can enroll for either Physical Sciences or Life Sciences or both subjects
- All papers are available in both English and Afrikaans
POSTPONEMENT OF SCIENCE OLYMPIADS AND ASTRO-QUIZ
Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on Sunday, 15 March 2020 that schools will be closed from 18 March 2020 until after the Easter holidays in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 (Corona Virus), NRF-SAASTA has subsequently decided to postpone the following Olympiads and Competitions until further notice.
National Science Olympiads:
a) Natural Sciences (Grades 4-6)
b) Natural Sciences (Grades 7-9)
c) Life Sciences (Grades 10 – 12)
d) Physical Sciences (Grades 7)
e) Astro-Quiz (Grade 7)