On Saturday, February 14, 2026, a group of approximately twenty students from the Thessaloniki Music School (M.S.Th.) set aside their staves and musical instruments for a while to take on the secrets of human languages by participating in the 2nd Panhellenic Linguistics Olympiad, which was held at the premises of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.).
The Olympiad was co-organized by the Department of Philology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Departments of Philology and English Language & Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. It is an institution officially certified by the international body International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL), offering students the opportunity to compete for a place in the 23rd International Olympiad in Bucharest next summer.
Although the term “Linguistics” may sound strictly academic, our students’ experience was anything but dull. The competition did not require prior knowledge of foreign languages; instead, it relied on logical thinking to solve the problems, resembling the decoding of riddles, crosswords, or sudoku puzzles. It demanded analytical ability from the students to identify patterns in unfamiliar linguistic data, as well as synthetic thinking with emphasis on the structure of grammatical systems and the logic that governs human communication.
Beyond the competitive aspect, our school’s participation had a deeply educational character, as the students discovered linguistic diversity by coming into contact with rare languages and realizing the richness of human culture. At the same time, they strengthened their critical thinking skills, learning to approach complex problems with composure and methodical reasoning. Their presence in a university environment such as that of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki further boosted their confidence and brought them closer to the academic community.
“Participating in such a competition is like learning to read a new musical score without knowing the instrument; you rely on the structure, the rhythm, and the internal logic of the system,” commented the supervising philologist teachers, Christina Amanatiadou and Alexandra Mavridou, who trained the Thessaloniki Music School team.
We warmly congratulate our twenty students for the courage, curiosity, and spirit of cooperation they demonstrated. For us, the greatest award is the willingness to learn beyond the narrow limits of the school curriculum!