The next GPT will take place in Stuttgart from January 15th to January 18th, 2026.
Schedule on the way to the GPT 2026:
Summer 2025: The problems for the GPT 2026 and the IPT 2026 will be published (on the website of the IPT)
November 2025: Registration for GPT 2026 closes. However, if you are interested to take part in the GPT, please inform us as soon as possible via a short mail to: info@ipt-germany.info .
December 2025 or January 2026: Online round of the GPT, which is especially intended for new participants to learn how the GPT works.
January 15th to January 18th, 2026: GPT 2026 in Stuttgart at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI-FKF)
Questions and Answers:
What is the International Physicists’ Tournament/German Physicists’ Tournament?
The German Physicists’ Tournament is a competition for teams of Bachelor and Master students of physics or related fields, where the participants research some unsolved problem in advance, and then discuss theirs and their opponents solution during the event.
The general principles of the GPT and the IPT can be found at germany.iptnet.info/about. Videos of example solutions can be watched at germany.iptnet.info/example-problem-solutions. And even more information on the competition can be found on the homepage of the IPT: iptnet.info.
The winners of the GPT 2026 will represent Germany in the IPT 2026 in the USA.
Who is allowed to participate?
All students that are somehow affiliated to German universities and have not yet reached their Master degree. Teams can consist of up to 6 students. Single students can also take part and will be assigned to a team by us.
To participate, it is usually sufficient to work on and prepare ideas for one or two problem per team member. There is no registration fee.
What are the rules of the GPT 2026?
The general principles of the GPT and IPT can be found here. Some additional rules for the GPT 2026 will hold, e.g., it will be sufficient in the in-person round to register with one or two problems per participant (probably a team should register N+3 problems where N is the number of participants). All problems that you register might be challenged by other teams, but note that during the competition you can always reject one (or maybe two) challenged problem without penalty and additional problems with a penalty. Therefore, the number of problems that you have actually prepared can be smaller than the number of problems that you register with. There might be additional adjustments depending on the number of teams that register. More details will be communicated later to the registered teams.
Are there any costs or fees?
There is no participation fee. We will try to get funding to be able to fully cover the travel costs, accommodation, and catering for all participants of the GPT 2026 in Stuttgart.