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What is NACLO?

Are you a middle school or high school student with a talent for languages, logic, and computational thinking? Would you like to challenge yourself by deciphering an ancient script or identifying the characteristics of some Martian animals?

NACLO, short for the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad, is a contest specifically designed for high-school students (or younger) to solve linguistic puzzles. Participants are given linguistics problems to solve, which are based on different languages. All you need are logical and reasoning skills.  No prior knowledge of languages or linguistics is necessary.

NACLO helps students refine their natural logic and reasoning skills while also emphasizing computational thinking. It aims to introduce students to computational problem-solving within the context of natural language data and processing, and has successfully attracted top students to study linguistics and computational linguistics.

NACLO consists of two rounds: the Open Round and Invitational Round. The national winners from the Invitational Round are eligible to participate in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL).

NACLO 2025 Open Round  - January 23, 2025

The Open Round opens to all middle school and high school students who are interested. Its purpose is to identify talented contestants who will proceed to the Invitational Round. The judges anticipate that approximately one hundred contestants will advance from the Open Round to the Invitational Round.

Where to Participate for the NACLO 2025?

In 2025, in partnership with Leadways School, 7EDU Global Academy will host an in-person site for NACLO open round, as the only high school site in the bay area that is open to the public for NACLO registration. Seats are limited. First come, first serve.

Exceptional students will be selected for the invitational round on March 13, 2025. The top performers in the invitational round will have the opportunity to participate in the International Linguistics Olympiad during the summer.

How to Register for NACLO

Click to register 

So far, no due date for the open round registration has been announced yet.  When selecting the site, just go to 'High School sites', and select 7EDU Global Academy .  Only limited seats will be open to the public.  Please register as soon as possible. 

For more information, visit NACLO website.  Please check this webpage regularly for updates.

Time Schedule for 2025 NACLO Open Round

As usual, the competition will be held on Thursday morning. The doors will open at 8:30am.  You should plan to be present at the contest room by 8:45. You should be seated by 8:55 when the announcements are read. The contest will start at 9:00 AM sharp, and will end 3 hours later at 12:00 PM.

Location & Parking

7EDU Global Academy, 20900 McClellan Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014 (in partnership with Leadways School).

Limited parking on campus.

Open Round Guidelines

• Plan to be at the contest room at least 15 mins before the start of the contest (8:45).

• Please bring your own black pen -- all solutions must be written in pen. Scratch paper will be provided.

• You are allowed a basic wristwatch (without built-in calculator) for time keeping. However, no electronic device is allowed.

• Bring water and snacks to keep yourself fresh and energized during the contest. Place them on the desk before the contest begins.

• When you arrive, place your bags under your seats. You cannot use your bags during the contest.

NACLO Invitational Round - March 13, 2025

The purpose of the Invitational Round is to select national winners who will be eligible to participate in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL). In the past, the cutoff has been around the 90th percentile.