University Physics Competition
The 2026 University Physics Competition will run Friday 6 Nov 2026 to Sunday 8 Nov (starting 8PM Central Daylight Time Friday). Please contact me by 2 Oct 2026 for coaching if you would like to participate this year! You must contact me by 29 Oct 2026 to register a team!
Description
In this competition, teams of up to 3 students have 48 hours to write a research-style paper on one of two problems (your choice!) and submit it via email. There is no set location for the competition, so teams can work from home or campus (or wherever). The eligibility requirements are that the students be enrolled at UW and not yet have a Bachelor's degree in a STEM field. See the University Physics Competition page for more information.
All students are welcome to participate, but it is probably best if you have finished Foundations of Physics. You do not need to be a physics major --- physics-oriented bio and chem majors have participated in the past. Question topics tend to skew toward classical mechanics (space flight, sporting-related questions), but biophysics and thermal physics questions have sometimes been fun options (for example, what would animals look like if they evolved on another planet?).
Consider participating if you want to expand your physics knowledge and take on the challenge during two intense days!
UWinnipeg UPC Teams
UWinnipeg has had many successful teams compete in the UPC starting in 2012. The UPC has a unique scoring system, with the top 2% of teams ranked as gold medalists, the next 25-20% ranked as silver medalists, and the next 25-30% ranked as bronze medalists. Any team that completes this challenging competition gains the rank of accomplished competitor. The Physics Department is very proud of all of our teams!
- 2025
- Zach Guenther, Marcelo Katayama, Akshdeep Gill: Accomplished Competitor
- 2022
- Modeste Katotoka, Jashan Singh, Zachary Ferguson-Baird: Accomplished Competitor
- 2020
- Kiera Augusto, Michael Grehan: Bronze Medal
- Brayden Yarish, Setti Yosief, Kishankumar Patel: Bronze Medal
- 2019
- Tim Coates, Kiera Augusto, Michael Grehan: Silver Medal
- 2018
- Tim Coates, Kiera Augusto, Michael Grehan: Silver Medal
- Joe Hrzich, Cameron Russell, Andrew Sikora: Bronze Medal
- 2017
- Tim Coates, Kelsey Duncan, Raphael Hoult: Silver Medal
- University Press Release
- 2016
- Kelsey Duncan, Raphael Hoult, Josh Titus: Bronze Medal
- Sarah Campbell, Steven Casson, Veronica Fieldhouse: Accomplished Competitor
- 2015
- Raphael Hoult, Josh Titus: Bronze Medal
- Sarah Campbell, Steven Casson, Veronica Fieldhouse: Accomplished Competitor
- Michael Honke, Tasha Jones, Sashika Kumaragamage: Accomplished Competitor
- Cayan Caglar, Jyota Malcolm, Jossa Soto: Accomplished Competitor
- 2014
- Sarah Campbell, Steven Casson, Veronica Fieldhouse: Accomplished Competitor
- 2013
- Nils Deppe, Jared Enns, Nick Reid: Silver Medal
- University Press Release
- Canstar News article
- Interview 20 Feb 2014 on CKUW's Dark Matter, Defined (starts at 11 minutes) (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Sarah Campbell, Steven Casson, Veronica Fieldhouse: Bronze Medal
- Gabriel Chernitsky, Allison Kolly, Dean Mikulik: Accomplished Competitor
- 2012
- Nick Reid, Paul Sarte, Trevor Vincent: Accomplished Competitor