The South African National English Olympiad was established in 1976, and is a joint project of the Grahamstown Foundation and the South African Council for English Education (SACEE).
2026 ENGLISH OLYMPIAD
The 2026 English Olympiad examination will be written on Tuesday 3 March 2026.
Entries for the 2026 Olympiad are now open. Please click on the links below to access the Call for Entries and Entry Form.
PLEASE NOTE that our entry form is now available as an on-line form that must be completed and submitted online. Teachers that would like to request a paper-based form should email the Olympiad Officer for a copy.
The closing date for entries to the 2026 Olympiad is 15 October 2025.
For more information on the English Olympiad, click on the 2026 Call for Entries below.
THE SYLLABUS FOR 2026
The title of the 2026 Olympiad anthology is We Have a Choice – Victim or Victor. The examinations will be based on this anthology of literary and other works compiled by Hillary Lewis-Soma. In her introduction, Lewis-Soma writes that the anthology “is about us – the human race – making choices about the circumstances in which we find ourselves. It is about being cramped and locked up behind our own perceptions and unwillingness to change and embrace our full potential.”
NOTE: The Study Guide for the 2026 Olympiad will be available for viewing and download on this website. Registered schools will only receive printed copies of the Study Guide with their Anthologies if they request them when completing the on-line entry form.
The Olympiad is open to all learners (English HL and FAL) who will be in Grades 9-12 in 2026 – that is, those learners who are in Grades 8-11 in 2025.
Please note that entries are only accepted via schools. No individual or private entries are accepted.
Please note: copies of the 2026 anthology are only made available to schools that participate in the 2026 English Olympiad. The 2026 study guide will be published on this website in November 2025.
2025 ENGLISH OLYMPIAD RESULTS
Please note that ONLY teachers registered by the Olympiad will have their school’s login details sent to them and only registered teachers may log in to view these results.
If you have not received a password via email or cannot access your school’s results please contact the Olympiad Officer for assistance.
2025 ENGLISH OLYMPIAD WINNERS
ENGLISH OLYMPIAD PRIZE GIVING 2025
Yvette Morgan (2025 Co-Examiner), Mihir Modi (HL 1st place winner) and Malcolm Venter (2025 Examiner)
ENGLISH OLYMPIAD PRIZE GIVING 2025
Yvette Morgan (2025 Co-Examiner), Amara Odugwu (HL 2nd place winner), Mihir Modi (HL 1st place winner), Hannah Abrahams (HL 3rd place winner) and Malcolm Venter (2025 Examiner)
ENGLISH OLYMPIAD PRIZE GIVING 2025
Princess Makoele (FAL 3rd place winner), Ogilvie Botha (FAL 3rd place winner), Tasneem Dolley (2025 FAL Examiner), Bohlale Tsupa (FAL 1st place winner) and Nkoka Furumele (FAL 2nd place winner)
ENGLISH OLYMPIAD PRIZE GIVING 2025
Let us celebrate!
2025 Olympiad Resources
The English Olympiad celebrated its 50th edition in 2025. The Chief Examiner for the 50th Olympiad, Dr Malcolm Venter, started the project in 1976. The theme of the 2025 Olympiad was “Celebration”, and the examinations were based on an anthology of literary works titled Let us Celebrate and a study guide compiled by Dr Venter and Co-Examiner Yvette Morgan.
Please note: copies of the 2025 anthology and study guide are only made available to schools that participate in the 2025 English Olympiad.
2026 Olympiad Entries
The Call for Entries for the 2026 English Olympiad will open on 1 August 2025. Entry forms will be available on this website from that date.
The 2026 English Olympiad is open to all learners (English HL and FAL) who will be in Grades 9 – 12 in 2026, that is, those learners who are in Grades 8 – 11 when applying.
Entries will close: Wednesday 15 October 2025