Frequently asked questions

Students must be aged 13 to 18 (19 not included) at the time of the competition and enrolled in a Belgian secondary school. There is no requirement to have studied neuroscience before — just a curiosity about the brain.

For this first edition, we expect to have a limit of 30 students. There are no regional qualifying rounds — all registered students compete directly in the national championship. If more students register than we can accommodate, participants will be selected based on the strength of their application.

No. We welcome multiple students from the same school. We encourage teachers to spread the word and register all interested students. One teacher can nominate more than one student.

No — participation is completely free.

The 2026 National Championship will be held at the Stadscampus of the University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen). The exact room and full programme will be shared with confirmed participants ahead of the event.

One family member or friend per registered student, is welcome to attend as a guest. Some parts of the competition, such as the written test, are closed to the public. During this period, another room will be provided in which you are welcome to work, spend your time and talk with the other guests. However, the podium sessions and awards ceremony are open to everyone.

No prior neuroscience knowledge is required! Everything you need to know is covered in the Brain Facts book, which is available for free online. A general interest in science is helpful, but you don’t need to have taken any specific courses to do well.

It depends on your familiarity with the material, but we recommend starting as soon as your registration is confirmed. Setting aside a few study sessions each week to work through the Brain Facts book and review sample questions will put you in a strong position by competition day.