The Contest is run in 4 stages:
• Preliminary Round
• National Final Round
• Continental Qualifier Round / Play-Off Qualifier Round
• World Final Round

(1) PRELIMINARY ROUND

We offer 2 options for participants:

Option 1: Online at Home
• Date: 13, 14 or 15 March 2026
• Duration: Around 1 hour (during one of the dates above)
• Participants can take the test online from the comfort of their home.
• They must log into Zoom for invigilation.
• A laptop with a webcam, a stable internet connection, and a quiet room are required.
• The session is supervised by Hippo Malaysia team.

Option 2: Paper-Based at Physical Test Venue
• Duration: Around 1 hour 
• Participants may select one of the test venues below:
a) Sri UCSI Kuala Lumpur: 14 March 2026, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
b) Sri UCSI Subang Jaya, Selangor: 14 March 2026, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
c) Sri UCSI Springhill Port Dickson: 14 March 2026, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
d) SAM Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru: 14 March 2026, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm (1-hour slot)
e) SAM Iramanis, Kota Kinabalu: 15 March 2026, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (1-hour slot)

Option 3: At School (Paper-Based or Online)
This option is only available if the participant's school is conducting the test.
• Date: 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 March 2026
• Duration: Around 1 hour
• Participants can take the test at their school or tuition center.
• The test can be either paper-based or online.
• Teachers at the school or center will handle the invigilation.
• The date and mode can be anytime between 11 to 15 March 2026, with the decision to be made by teachers.

(2) NATIONAL FINAL ROUND
• Date: 9 May 2026
• Duration: 1 hour
• Mode: Online

(3.1: EXTRA ROUND) CONTINENTAL QUALIFIER ROUND
• Date: 2 to 5 July 2026 (actual date to be announced after the National Finals)
• Mode: Face-to-face
• Location: Phuket, Thailand

(3.2: EXTRA ROUND) PLAY-OFF QUALIFIER ROUND
• Mode: Face-to-face
• Qualified participants may choose their preferred location

Option 1
• Date: 2 to 9 August 2026
• Location: Doha, Qatar

Option 2
• Date: 4 to 11 August 2026
• Location: Brighton, United Kingdom

Option 3
• Date: 10 to 16 August 2026
• Location: Cluj, Romania 

(4) WORLD FINAL ROUND
• Date: 28 September to 1 October 2026
• Mode: Face-to-face
• Location: Spoleto, Italy
• Finalists and their accompanying teacher will receive a complimentary 3-night stay, including breakfast and dinner.

INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION
If you’re a parent, teacher, or student looking to register individually, please click on Hippo Registration. You will be directed to our registration form. Select "To register myself/my child/students individually" and complete the subsequent sections of the form to register.

GROUP REGISTRATION (For School)
If you are a teacher and wish to register a group of students from your school or tuition center, please click on Hippo Registration. Select "I am a teacher, please send me bulk registration form", and we will WhatsApp you shortly to explain the group registration process.

For more information regarding group registration, please contact us at 012-3833218.

[Registration Deadline]
Please note that the registration deadline is 28 February 2026. Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted.

Students should enroll according to their school grade/year in January 2026. The Contest consists of Regular Category and Special Category.

• Regular Category
Students from National (Public) or Private Schools (National Syllabus) are eligible to enroll in the Regular Category, equivalent to proficiency in "English as a Second or Foreign language".

Level Assignment based on School Grade/Year as of January 2026:
Primary 1 & 2: Baby Hippo
Primary 3 & 4: Little Hippo
Primary 5 & 6: Hippo 1
Secondary 1: Hippo 2
Secondary 2 & 3: Hippo 3
Secondary 4 & 5: Hippo 4
Form 6 & college students: Hippo 5

• Special Category
Students from English Medium Private or International Schools, or those who have studied for at least 3 years in an English-speaking country in the past 5 years will have to choose the Special Category, equivalent to proficiency in "English as a First Language".

Students from the Regular Category wishing to challenge higher levels can participate in the Special Category.

Level assignment based on School Grade/Year as of January 2026:
Year 1 & 2: Baby Hippo
Year 3 & 4: Little Hippo
Year 5 & 6: Hippo S1
Year 7: Hippo S2
Year 8 & 9 (or Sec 2 & 3): Hippo S3
Year 10 & 11 (or Sec 4 & 5): Hippo S4
Year 12 & 13 (or Form 6 & College): Hippo S5

[IMPORTANT NOTES]
1) For Baby Hippo and Little Hippo, there is no separation between Regular and Special Category. Students from both categories will compete together.

2) Baby Hippo examinations will be of the same level of difficulty as the ones for Little Hippo in all rounds of the Contest. The two categories will, however, have two separate ranking lists.

3) The following categories share the same papers: Hippo S1 and Hippo 2; Hippo S2 and Hippo 3; Hippo S3 and Hippo 4; Hippo S4 and Hippo 5. Despite the similar content, they are evaluated separately based on their respective categories.

4) Students who reached the Hippo 2025 World Finals cannot compete at the same level in Hippo 2026. They will be recommended to enter the Special Category or participate one level higher.

5) Students from lower levels may compete at a higher level if they feel adequately prepared for that level. You may consult us for advice.

6) The Global Hippo Association reserves the right to verify the school's curriculum, language of instruction, and the hours dedicated to English education.

7) Students who enroll in one of the regular categories but are supposed to compete in the special categories according to the regulations will be disqualified.

8) The Global Hippo Association reserves the right to disqualify those who do not comply with the regulations.

The participants will compete in 12 categories (7 regular and 5 special) based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and will take the Gatehouse Awards examinations as well as Hippo tests. The CEFR level of each Hippo category is stated below:

Baby Hippo & Little Hippo
• Preliminary Round: CEFR Pre A1 YL (Young Learners)
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR A1 YL (Young Learners)

Hippo 1
• Preliminary Round: CEFR A1 YL (Young Learners)
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR A2 YL (Young Learners)

Hippo 2 & Hippo S1
• Preliminary Round: CEFR A1
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR A2

Hippo 3 & Hippo S2
• Preliminary Round: CEFR A2
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR B1

Hippo 4 & Hippo S3
• Preliminary Round: CEFR B1
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR B2

Hippo 5 & Hippo S4
• Preliminary Round: CEFR B2
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR C1

Hippo S5
• Preliminary Round: CEFR C1
• National Finals & World Finals: CEFR C2

If you wish to learn more about CEFR, click here.

• All candidates will receive a digital certificate after each round. Those advancing to the National Finals, Qualifiers, or World Finals will also be awarded a medal.
• Physical certificates and medals for candidates in the Preliminary Round and National Finals will be sent to their respective schools if the school is a registered Hippo venue. The list of registered Hippo venues will be available after the release of results.
• If your school is not a registered Hippo venue but you wish to receive a physical certificate and medal, we can courier the items to your home upon request. Candidates will need to bear the courier charges. The request form will be available after the release of results.
• Winners of National Finals, Continental Qualifiers, and Play-Off Qualifiers will proceed to the World Finals. The winners and their accompanying teachers will receive a complimentary 3-night stay, including breakfast and dinner in Spoleto, Italy.
• All candidates who pass the World Final round tests (scoring a minimum of 55%) will be awarded a Gatehouse Awards internationally recognized certificate in English.
• Other World Final prizes will be announced closer to the event date.

Sample papers to practice are available to download here.

All participants will receive 5 years worth of past year papers. Upon successful registration, we will send you a confirmation message containing the link to download the past year question papers, with login username and password.

There are 4 main competition rounds.

More of a visual person? Watch our video to understand better!

(1) PRELIMINARY ROUND (13-15 March 2026)
• Participants compete in Reading and Use of English tests (50 to 54 multiple-choice questions) across various categories.
• Top 20% (or more with the same marks) of participants from Malaysia proceed to the National Final round in April 2025.

(2) NATIONAL FINAL ROUND (9 May 2026)
• The National Final round includes Reading, Writing (30 questions), and a free-writing task (100–200 words, excluding Baby & Little Hippo) with difficulty one level higher than the preliminary round.
• The essay is assessed only if two or more candidates have the same scores on both reading and writing test.

(3.1: EXTRA ROUND) CONTINENTAL QUALIFIER ROUND (Thailand, 2-5 July 2026)
• Where the number of enrolments in Southeast Asia and Far East countries reaches 1,000 students (with a minimum of 100 candidates per category), Qualifiers will be organised.
• Best ranking participants from the National Final round, who did not qualify for the World Finals will be invited to join the qualifiers.
• The number of participants admitted will be proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each category per country.
• The Qualifier Round will be held in Phuket, Thailand in July 2026, featuring Use of English open-ended questions and a crossword.
• The participation fee depends on the location for the continental qualifier round, and will be announced after the National Finals. 
• The winner of each category will proceed to the World Final Round in Italy.

(3.2: EXTRA ROUND) PLAY-OFF QUALIFIER ROUND (Qatar | United Kingdom | Romania, August 2026)
• Offers a chance for additional participants to qualify for the World Finals.
• Open to selected categories and regions, held in the Qatar (2-9 August 2026), UK (4-11 August 2026), and Romania (10-16 August 2026). Participants can choose any of the three locations.
• Participants take an intensive five-day Hippo English Language preparation course followed by a test on day 6. • The package covers the costs of teaching, learning materials, accommodation, all meals, transfers arrival/departure, all activities and 1 excursion.
• Winners proceed to the World Finals, with entries proportional to the number of preliminary round participants in each category per country.

(4) WORLD FINAL ROUND (Italy, 28 September to 1 October 2026)
• Top scorers from the National Final, Regional Qualifier & Play-Off Qualifier are invited to the World Final Round in Spoleto, Italy from 28 September to 1 October 2026.
• Three-day half-board accommodation will be provided for all the candidates and their teachers free of charge, while the costs of travel will be borne by the participants.
• In the World Final, participants take the Gatehouse Awards exam covering all four language skills, Use of English test (30 questions), and a crossword test to determine the winners.

The tests for the preliminary round of the Olympiad will consist of two parts: Reading Comprehension test & Use of English test. All multiple choice questions. There is only one correct answer to every question. There are no negative marks. The number of questions, points, and maximum allowed time for each part is specified below.

BABY HIPPO & LITTLE HIPPO (same paper)
• Reading: 30 questions | 1 point each | 20 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 20 minutes max

HIPPO 1
• Reading: 30 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 20 minutes max

HIPPO 2 & HIPPO S1 (same paper), HIPPO 3 & HIPPO S2 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 20 minutes max

HIPPO 4 & HIPPO S3 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 40 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 30 minutes max

HIPPO 5 & HIPPO S4 (same paper), HIPPO S5
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 45 minutes max
• Use of English: 20 questions | 1.5 point each | 30 minutes max

Note: Answers are recorded on an answer sheet (OMR) for the paper-based test; there is no OMR for the online test.

After the Preliminary Round tests have been marked, the top 20% of participating students from each participating country will be invited to the National Finals. The list of qualified students will be expanded to include all those whose number of points is the same as the number of points of the last students in the first 20%.

In order to qualify for the National Finals, candidates must obtain a minimum score of 50%.
  
The exam level for the National Final Round will be one CEFR level higher than the one in the Preliminary Round. The tests for the National Final Round of the Contest will consist of Reading test, Writing test (30 questions) and Essay test (except for Baby & Little Hippo).

The essay will be assessed only in case two or more candidates have the scores on both the reading and the writing test, to decide who will enter World Final Round.

There is only one correct answer to every question. There are no negative marks.

BABY HIPPO & LITTLE HIPPO (same paper)
• Reading: 30 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Writing: 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 1
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 2 & HIPPO S1 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 30 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 3 & HIPPO S2 (same paper)
• Reading: 34 questions | 1 point each | 40 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO 4 & HIPPO S3 (same paper), HIPPO 5 & HIPPO S4 (same paper)
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 45 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

HIPPO S5
• Reading: 40 questions | 1 point each | 50 minutes max
• Writing: Free-writing task (essay) + 30 questions | 1.5 point each | 45 minutes max

Note:
• Reading test answers are recorded on an answer sheet (OMR), while Writing test answers are given in the test booklet for the paper-based test.
• For the Online test, all answers will be submitted through the online system.

In the Continental Qualifier Round, the candidates will take a Hippo Test of English consisting of 30 Use of English open-ended questions and a crossword.

The Contest participants will be divided into the Contest regions (hereinafter regions) for the purpose of organising regional qualifiers. The pre-set regions are as follows:
1. Mediterranean Countries (Europe & North Africa)
2. Continental Europe
3. Middle East
4. Central Asia
5. Indian Subcontinent
6. Maritime Southeast Asia
7. Far East
8. Africa
9. America
10. Oceania

The 2026 Qualifiers will be held in:
1. Venice, Italy for Europe & Africa (Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Nigeria, Niger, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.)
2. Baku, Azerbaijan for Greater Middle East & Central Asia (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.)
3. Phuket, Thailand for Asia Pacific (Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.)
4. Buenos Aires, Argentina for Americas (Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and other countries in the North or South America joining Hippo in 2026.)

Where the number of enrolments in a specific region reaches 1,000 students in the 2026 edition, with a minimum of 50 candidates per Hippo Category, Qualifiers will be organised. Students with the best ranking among those not qualified for the World Finals will be admitted to the Continental Qualifiers.

Continental Qualifiers will be held in person. Online examinations will not be available and no exemptions will be made. The minimum percentage a student needs to achieve to be invited to the Continental Qualifiers will be 70% of that of the first-ranked student’s points. The top 20% of students per country per category, provided that they do not qualify for the World Finals and that their minimum percentage of achievement is 70% of that of the first-ranked student’s points, will be invited to participate in the Continental Qualifiers and their names will be highlighted in yellow in the ranking list published on the official Hippo website on the Results page. The number of participants in Continental Qualifier events will be limited and bookings will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis.
 
Students invited to the Continental Qualifiers are required to pay a Participation Fee. This fee covers the cost of insurance, merchandising items (provided to participants upon arrival), participation in organized activities, and examination materials.

Where applicable, an accommodation package will be offered to participants through an exclusive service provider. Students and accompanying teachers or parents are responsible for their own travel and accommodation expenses. While participants are expected to arrange their own travel, Hippo will provide recommended accommodation options, allowing participants to choose between the proposed package and independent arrangements.

The three-day program will be published on the Hippo website as well as Hippo social media. The program will be sent to the participants and their families along with the booking information. 

First place winners of each Hippo category and for any of the Regions will proceed to the World Finals.