The Hebrew Language Olympiad for Youth: A Growing Celebration of Language and Culture 2025
The Hebrew Language Olympiad for Youth is an academic-educational initiative led by the Department of Hebrew Language at Tel Aviv University. It is supported by university leaders, the Koret Center for Jewish Civilization, and the companies Check Point and Final.
Founded in 2022, the Olympiad aims to introduce young people to the richness of language through unique linguistic challenges and unconventional puzzles—offering an experience beyond the standard school curriculum. The competition is open to students in grades 7–12 and is divided into two categories: middle school (grades 7–9) and high school (grades 10–12).
Participants tackle a variety of linguistic challenges, including logical reasoning, comparative patterns in ancient Semitic languages, code-breaking, vocabulary, idioms, and more.
The first stage of the competition takes place online, where students can participate independently or through their school. The final round is held at Tel Aviv University, bringing together hundreds of finalists from among the thousands who participated in the initial stage. Winners receive certificates, cash prizes, and scholarships for the university’s youth linguistics program.
Dr. Einat Gonen, Head of the Department of Hebrew Language and Semitic Linguistics, explains:
“The Hebrew Language Olympiad for Youth reflects our department’s mission to make academic research accessible to the wider public, especially to the younger generation. The enthusiastic response from students proves that even complex linguistic concepts can captivate young minds when presented in the right format.”
To make the competition inclusive, special tracks have been introduced for diverse student groups, both in Israel and abroad. These include a customized questionnaire for schools in the ultra-Orthodox education sector and a dedicated track for students whose native language is not Hebrew—such as Hebrew learners abroad and Arabic-speaking students in Israel.
This expansion, along with growing awareness of the Olympiad, has led to a significant increase in participation. The upcoming fourth Olympiad in 2025 is expected to attract approximately 5,000 students from Israel and around the world.
The Hebrew Language Olympiad has received widespread media coverage across television, radio, and digital platforms:
