Announcements

As per the notification from the original venue provider regarding the unavailability of space for the competition, the Taipei examination venue for the TEO preliminary on Saturday, December 16, 2023 will be moved to the Betta Hall (room 201) at the GIS Taipei Tech Convention Center.

No changes have been made to any other examination arrangements. Please adhere to the announced schedule for your participation in the competition.

For detailed location information, please refer to the annual competition portal.

This year marks Taiwan’s fourth participation in the International Economics Olympiad (IEO) as well as the first in-person participation after the Covid pandemic. Among the 221 participants from 47 countries, the 5 Taiwanese participants achieved outstanding results, winning 1 gold, 4 silvers, and 1 award for best performance in economics. Internationally, Taiwan stands 5th globally and 3rd in Asia-Pacific, following Indonesia (2nd) and Singapore (4th). Among the three competition pillars, Taiwan excelled in the field of economics, securing 2nd place globally, and also achieved an impressive 3rd place in the business case finals.

The International Economics Olympiad is the highest-level competition of high school subjects. The IEO 2023 is the 6th edition of the competition and was hosted physically by Greece. Due to varying post-pandemic recovery situations in different countries, the competition took a hybrid format. Taiwan and 19 other countries attended the physical event at the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece, while the remaining 28 countries participated online. The competition included economics, financial literacy, and business case analysis. The first two categories were individual-based, and the last was team-based, with participants’ scores contributing to national rankings across all three categories.

How Taiwan made its way there

In March of this year, the Taiwanese Economics Olympiad (TEO) was held as authorized selection domestically. The double-round selection elected the 5 contestants for the IEO this year. The national selection was organized jointly by SimEd Taiwan and the School of Big Data Management, Soochow University. The selection was internationally recognized, and supported academically and professionally by Associate Professors Kuo-Chih Yuan from Soochow University's Department of Economics and Po-Chun Huang from National Chengchi University’s Department of Economics, along with Mr. David Ng, Chief Operating Officer, and Mr. Douglas Matheson, Chief Risk Officer of HSBC (Taiwan).

It was the fourth time Taiwan conducted national selection, attracting the participation of 166 high school students from across the country. The competition was conducted entirely in English. After the preliminary round, where participants were tested on their economics and financial knowledge, the top 16 students proceeded to the finals, which involved business case analysis assessment. In the final, scores from both stages were taken into account to select Taiwan’s 5 contestants and 2 reserves for the IEO. During the summer vacation, the TEO team organized a two-week boot camp, in which the contestants were equipped with readiness to represent Taiwan in the IEO.

Who’s on the team

Leading the team were Team Leader A Joseph Tsai and Team Leader B Maggie Huang from the TEO Executive Board. The participating students were Kuan-Yuan Chang and Yan-Cheng Chen (Kang Chiao International School – Linkou Campus), Shin Chen (Taipei American School), Chun-Wei Chiu (Taipei Fuhsing Private School), and Yu-Chun Wang (Hsinchu County American School) (in alphabetical order by surname). The competition commenced on July 25 in Volos, Greece, and consisted of the economics theory, financial economics, and business case analysis. The awards ceremony took place on August 1.

One of Taiwan’s highlights in the IEO 2023 was the performance of Shin Chen, who won a gold medal and received the Best Theoretical Performance Award. Ranked 11th globally, Chen expressed excitement at seeing her name on the list of gold medalists during the award ceremony and immediately shared her joy with her family. In his second representation of Taiwan, Kuan-Yuan Chang achieved even greater success this year, earning a silver medal. As the team captain, he felt more confident this time due to a year of growth, allowing him to utilize various knowledge and coordinate team efforts more effectively in case analysis. Another silver medalist, Chun-Wei Chiu, had just graduated from junior high school. Despite not having economics in his curriculum, he self-studied during his spare time and was pleasantly surprised by his selection to the team and his excellent results. The growth he experienced during this journey and the friendships formed were his best graduation gifts.

Team leader notes

TL A Joseph Tsai mentioned that the past years had witnessed significant global changes, resulting in the inclusion of a broader range of popular topics in this year’s training for national representatives. These topics included European geopolitical situations, trends in economic research, regional development, and public-private sector collaboration. These themes were reflected in both the international essay questions and the business case analysis topics. Although the training was conducted in person, simulation tests and business case analyses replicated the formal competition format, with computer-based or video software responses, helping participants adapt to the international competition format early on and improve their on-the-spot stability. Furthermore, the team held self-organized training in Athens a few days before the competition, helping participants adjust to the time difference and enhance their on-site experience. As a result, their performance in economics and business case analysis exceeded the level achieved during training. TL B Maggie Huang noted that Taiwan’s physical participation yielded impressive results, leveraging the team’s strengths compared to the previous three years of online competitions. The team received praise from various team leaders and participants from multiple countries for their performance in the business case finals. The physical event also allowed for interaction with other leaders to exchange experiences in economics education and training, with the hope of learning from this and guiding future Taiwanese students to perform even better on the global stage.

Joseph also added future plans of SimEd Taiwan, aiming to continue integrating the concepts of the new Ministry of Education curriculum and promoting education in economics, financial literacy, and business case analysis exclusively for high school students across the country. His team also aspires to collaborate with academic and industry resources, continuously selecting and training outstanding students to participate in the IEO, ultimately enhancing business literacy among Taiwanese students and maintaining a prominent position on the world stage.

The finalist list* has been announced on the annual competition portal. An email on further details has also been sent to contestants selected as finalists.

The competition does not publicly disclose any personal scores on the website. If you wish to know your scoring particulars in the Preliminary, please send an email to info@ecolympiad.tw.

In the email, please also include your contestant number, name, and ID photocopy to secure personal privacy.

There are 130 contestants in the TEO this year. The contestant list and venue information have been updated on the Portal.

Check also the Regulations page for details of the Preliminary rules.

All contestants are required to submit their Health Declarations at check-in.

Information on Covid-19 prevention and the template of a Health Declaration have been sent to all contestants by email.

Failure to show a valid Health Declaration may lead to disqualification in the competition.

All contestants must wear masks at all time during the competition.

In the 2021 International Economics Olympiad (IEO), Team Taiwan won 2 silver and 3 bronze medals and finished 13th among 215 contestants from 44 participating countries.

The IEO is a worldwide economics competition for high schoolers, where each country can send 5 contestants at most to compete in the fields of not merely economics but financial literacy and business analysis as well.

Overall, Taiwan finished 13th among 44 countries and ranked 5th in Asia-Pacific, after Malaysia, New Zealand, South Korea, and China. In the economics exam, Taiwan even secured the 5th place among all teams and placed 2nd, only after China in the region.

Hosted by Latvia, the 2021 IEO was held online due to Covid-19. The Latvian steering committee designed mechanisms to unite participants from around the globe and ensure fairness through efficient online real-time coordination. This year, participants were lucky to meet prestigious scholars such as Mr. N. Gregory Mankiw and a lot more in guest lectures. 

In the completion, the economics exam challenged contestants’ problem-solving skills in micro- and macroeconomics. The financial literacy game was an online investment game that required contestants to maximize assets by manipulating leverage tools. The business case challenge focused on strategic proposals for a formerly state-owned Latvian automobile manufacturer aiming at designing an internationally-competitive new car model.

The Taiwanese medalists are as follows (in alphabetical order of surnames):

Silver medalists:

• Po-Han Boris Chen from Taipei European School

• Ching-Yun Ku from Kang Chiao International School (Xiugang Campus)

Bronze medalists:

• Chih-Han Chang from Taipei Wego Private Bilingual High School

• Yi-Jing Huang from Taipei Fuhsing Private School

• Letitia Liu from Taipei Fuhsing Private School

These excellent medalists were selected from the Taiwanese Economics Olympiad (TEO), the only internationally-recognized approach to the IEO for Taiwanese high schoolers. Hosted by SimEd Taiwan and the SCU School of Big Data Management, the TEO also gained professional support from SCU Economics, HSBC Bank (Taiwan), and Boston Consulting Group.

For 2 years in a row, Taiwanese contestants have not only secured medals for themselves in fierce international rivalry but also established a great foundation for newcomers in the competition. With an aspiration of higher achievements in the Olympiad, SimEd Taiwan will continue strengthening ties with the IEO and introducing domestic academic and business

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Contact: Joseph Tsai, President of SimEd Taiwan (+886 928 903 293; info@ecolympiad.tw)

The finalist list* has been announced on the annual competition portal. An email on further details has also been sent to contestants selected as finalists.

The competition does not publicly disclose any personal scores on the website. If you wish to know your scoring particulars in the Preliminary, please send an email to info@ecolympiad.tw.

In the email, please also include your contestant number, name, and ID photocopy to secure personal privacy.

The Preliminary has a two-step check-in: the first step (09:00-09:50) at the campus gate and the second step (09:30-09:50) at all examination venues. 

Contestants are advised to arrive earlier. Contestants should take full responsibility if late check-in results in shortened examination time.

There are two rounds in the Preliminary:
(1) Literacy of Economics and Finance (10:00-11:30);
(2) Application of Economics and Finance (13:00-16:00). 

There will be NO dining services on campus. All contestants should lunch on their own.

Before entering the campus, all contestants MUST show their “IDs/passports” and  “Health Declarations” for identification inspection, health check, and receipt issuance. 

Before entering examination venues, all contestants MUST show their “IDs/passports” for identification inspection. The TEO Supporters strongly suggest contestants bring both IDs and passports for checking their Chinese and non-Chinese names. 

There are 129 contestants in the TEO this year. The contestant list and venue information have been updated on the Portal.

Check also the Regulations page for details of the Preliminary rules.

All contestants are required to submit their Health Declarations at check-in.

Information on Covid-19 prevention and the template of a Health Declaration have been sent to all contestants by email.

Failure to show a valid Health Declaration may lead to disqualification in the competition.

All contestants must wear masks at all time during the competition.

Taiwan has for the first time won 5 bronze medals and secured high rankings in the international Economics Olympiad (IEO) 2020.

 The IEO, an international-level competition targeted at high schoolers confident of economic science and business management, consists of three pillars: individual-based economics examinations and financial literacy games (FLGs), as well as national team-based business case presentations.

The IEO 2020 was held online due to the global pandemic of COVID-19. The IEO host designed mechanisms to unite participants from around the globe and ensure fairness through efficient online real-time coordination. This year, participants were lucky to meet prestigious scholars, Mr. Eric Maskin, Nobel laureate in economics and Professor of Harvard University, Mr. N. Gregory Mankiw, Mr. Marc Uzan, and a lot more in guest lectures. 

In 2020, the economics examination included multiple-choice and open-ended questions that challenged contestants’ problem-solving skills in micro- and macroeconomics. The FLG was a real-time online game that required contestants to maximize assets by manipulating portfolios in which bonds, ETFs, real estate, and stock shares were possible leverage tools. The business case presentations echoed the global pandemic challenge, focusing on pricing strategic proposals for a COVID-19 vaccine firm aiming at international market shares.

Overall, Taiwan ranked the 8th among all 29 participating countries and the 3rd in Asia-Pacific, after Indonesia and New Zealand. In business case presentations, Taiwan even secured the 5th place out of 29 teams and the 2nd, placing only after Indonesia in Asia-Pacific.

Team Taiwan comprised 5 contestants, 2 team leaders, and 1 observer. All Taiwanese contestants were all awarded honors of bronze medals in the Olympiad. They were Jonathan Hsu from Taipei American School, Katherine Kai-Lin Liu and Yvette Yu-Jia Tseng from Taipei Fuhsing Private School, Katelyn Sing-ing Kuo from Shanghai High School International Division, and Samuel En-Cheng Liu from Kang Chiao International School. The national team was led by the 2 leaders, Mr. Joseph Tsai and Miss Maggie Huang, the President and the Executive Director of the Taiwanese Association for Simulation Education (SimEd Taiwan), and an observer Mr. Ban-He Li from the Department of Business Administration, National Taiwan University (NTU). 

Excellent contestants were selected from the Taiwanese Economics Olympiad (TEO). Recognized by the IEO, the TEO is the only approach to the IEO for Taiwanese high schoolers. The 2020 TEO was hosted by SimEd Taiwan and the School of Big Data Management, Soochow University (SCU).

 The TEO also gained professional support from Mr. Adam Chen, the CEO, Ms. Ruby Ho, the Head of Global Markets, and Ms. Ruth Lee, the Head of Corporate Sustainability of HSBC Bank (Taiwan), academic support from Professors Keng-Yu Ho and Yan-Shing Chen from the Department of Finance, NTU, Professor W. Paul Chiou from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, and Professor Kuo-Chih Yuan from the Department of Economics, SCU (in alphabetical order by university name), as well as operations support from Taipei Fuhsing Private School, and Topedia International Education. Insights from practitioners and academics were valuable for contestants to seek higher-level achievements in economics and business.

The team is proud to secure 5 bronze medals and high rankings in fierce rivalry with contestants from all continents all over the world. With an aspiration of higher achievements in the Olympiad, SimEd Taiwan will continue strengthening ties with the IEO and introducing domestic academic and business resources to Taiwanese high school students who set their sights on becoming young economics talents on the international stage.

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Contact: Joseph Tsai, President of SimEd Taiwan (+886 928 903 293; info@ecolympiad.tw)

With a view to developing literacies in social sciences such as geography, economics, history, linguistics, political science, and sociology, as well as skills of utilizing literature, historical sources, and fieldwork data, the Taiwanese Association for Simulation Education (SimEd Taiwan) organizes the Asia Pacific Youth forum on Humanities and Social Sciences for adolescents from the Asia-Pacific region to transform their academic interests into fruitful research outcomes. 

The APHS envisions to create a platform for idea exchange among high schoolers with analytical and critical thinking from different cultural backgrounds.

Read the annual regulation for more information on the Forum.

On May 9, 2020,  the first Taiwanese Economics Olympiad (TEO, branded as “EcOlympiad Taiwan”) marked a success of economics competitions for youth in Taiwan. Despite challenges of the global outbreak of COVID-19, 80 young economics enthusiasts from across the country participated in the competition, and 16 out of them were selected to the Final to compete for the 5 tickets to the 2020 International Economics Olympiad (IEO).

The TEO, first and internationally recognized national competition of the IEO in Taiwan, is organized for high school students interested in economics, finance, and business. Interdisciplinary knowledge and creative problem-solving skills are musts in the Olympiad. The competition is fully conducted in English, in which 16 contestants from a Preliminary of tests on economics and financial literacy advance to a Final for further challenges of business case presentations. 

The first TEO is hosted by the Taiwanese Association for Simulation Education (SimEd Taiwan) and the School of Big Data Management, Soochow University. The TEO also invites Professor Keng-Yu Ho and Associate Professor Yan-Shing Chen from Department of Finance, National Taiwan University, and Mr. Adam Chen, the CEO and Ms. Ruby Ho, the Head of Global Markets of HSBC Bank (Taiwan) Limited as jury members. Insightful feedback from academics and practitioners is imperative for contestants to seek higher-level achievements in economics and business.

The TEO also collaborates with local high schools and education startups. Taipei Fuhsing Private School, the TEO’s first high school partner, is invited as a key role in promoting economics for youth. Topedia International Education Co., Ltd., the TEO’s first education startup partner, takes up the responsibility of contestant training in the country.

The TEO is currently the only platform for youth confident of economics, business, and finance in Taiwan. The TEO team also plans to organize various promotion events for high school students in the country and the second national competition in 2021.

For more details on the TEO’s future roadmap, please visit the official website of the TEO.

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Contact: Joseph Tsai, President of SimEd Taiwan (+886 928 903 293; info@ecolympiad.tw)

1. All finalists and visitors (hereinafter participants) are required to wear masks at all times during the competition, follow on-site disease prevention measures (including body temperature check and hand disinfection). All participants must print and fill in the health questionnaire provided by Soochow University. This is a requirement of entry.

2. The date of the Final is Saturday, May 9. The location is the Arts Center of the Downtown Campus of Soochow University (No. 56, Guiyang St., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City). Visit the EcOlympiad Taiwan 2020 portal for directions.

3. The check-in time is between 08:20 and 08:50. All finalists mush show their valid IDs (Taiwanese national IDs or passports) for identification check. The entire event will end at. 17:30. finalists who need long-distance travel are recommended to make travel bookings based on the scheduled time.

4. The Final consists of business case presentations with the same theme. All finalists will receive the theme when the competition begins. Each finalist has 60 minutes for preparation for his/her oral presentation which is 8 minutes long and followed by a 5 minutes long Q&A session. The entire competition must be conducted in English.

5. The assessment in the Final is conducted during a finalist's oral presentation. All oral presentations are video recorded. There are no dress codes for the day – simplicity is the best policy. Disclosure of personal information on wearings may result in disqualification from the competition. 

6. Finalists are allowed to bring personal laptops and chargers for their preparation. Wi-Fi is available at the site, so finalists are recommended to check the Wi-Fi access function of their electronic devices in advance. Finalists are allowed to search for information on the internet, while reaching out to real persons for help is strictly prohibited and may result in disqualification from the competition. 

7. After the competition begins, all finalists are not allowed to use any electronic devices (including phones, tablets, computers, etc.) before the competition ends. The preparation time before an oral presentation is the only exception. It is recommended that finalists read books during their wait. 

8. All visitors are welcome to take part in the keynote speech (14:00-15:00) and the awards & closing ceremony (15:00-16:00). The site is not open to non-finalists persons between 09:00 and 13:00 due to the disease prevention policy of the site.

The 16 finalists* are announced on the portal of EcOlympiad Taiwan 2020. 

Congratulations to contestants entering the last round before the international competition! 🎉

Finalists will receive an email on must-knows before and in the Final.

The competition is organized in accordance with the Instruction for Public Assemblies (in Traditional Chinese only) published by the Central Epidemic Control Center (CECC). The competition organization will enforce strict disease prevention measures on the day.

Contestants with concerns about personal or family health management can apply for withdrawal from the competition with full refund guaranteed by the end of Thursday, March 26, 2020 by email, Facebook fan page, or phone.*

On March 21, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that travelers who departed from the United States and East Asia between March 8 and March 18 and developed symptoms in the aforementioned period of time are required to undergo home quarantine and be tested for COVID-19 for retrospective investigation reasons.

Contact local public health bureaus or the Centers for Disease Control at 1922 for more details.

All contestants must submit Health Declaration (in Traditional Chinese only**) at check-in on the Preliminary day. 

A template of the Declaration has been sent to email addresses of all contestants.

Failure to do so may result in disqualification in the competition.

The disease prevention policy against COVID-19 will be strictly enforced throughout the Preliminary. Understand the policy before you arrive:

1. All contestants must wear masks at all times.

• There will be NO mask supply on campus. 

• Contestants without masks may NOT enter the campus in accordance with the policy.

2. All contestants must disinfect hands and take body temperatures before entering examination venues. 

• Disinfectants and body thermometers will be provided on campus.

3. There will be a spare venue for any special circumstances.

• Do let us know if you feel unwell on the day.

Please visit the Regulations page for details.

80 Taiwanese contestants will participate in the Preliminary.

Please visit the portal of EcOlympiad 2020 for more details.

The International Economics Olympiad 2020 (IEO-2020) is postponed due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) around the globe. New dates of the IEO-2020 will be no earlier than September 1, 2020. Confirmed dates will be announced by the IEO team. 

As suggested by the IEO team, all domestic procedures should remain the same as planned. All competition rounds for the IEO-2020 in Taiwan are NOT subject to rescheduling. However, planned contestant training between May and July this year has been rescheduled to July and August. Training dates have yet to be confirmed. 

Please visit the IEO's official website for more details on the arrangement.

The rundown of the Preliminary has been updated with specified time for check-in. See Regulations page for details.

The answer key of the example test paper has been published onto the About page.

The online registration for the 2020 Taiwanese Economics Olympiad is now open! 

Check out must-knows on the Registration page and complete your registration by Mon., Mar. 9, 2020.