The First Global e-Competition on Astronomy and Astrophysics

TL;DR

The paper reports on the successful organization of the first global online astronomy competition in 2020, highlighting its positive impact on student engagement and lessons for future virtual events.

Contribution

It introduces the first global online astronomy competition, sharing insights on organization, challenges, and best practices for virtual scientific competitions.

Findings

High participant engagement from 42+ countries

Positive feedback on educational impact

Effective organization within 8 weeks

Abstract

The first Global e-Competition on Astronomy and Astrophysics was held online in September-October 2020 as a replacement for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the short time available for organisation, 8 weeks, the competition was run successfully, with 325 students from over 42 countries participating with no major issues. The feedback from the participants was positive and reflects the ways in which such events can boost interest in astronomy and astronomy education. With online activities set to become more prevalent in the future, we present an overview of the competition process, the challenges faced, and some of the lessons learned, aiming to contribute to the development of best practices for organizing online competitions.