Students are invited to submit their ideas to the Flinders Thought Experiment Competition!

Competition Deadline: 15th July, 2026 at 6pm (ACST)

Eligibility: Open to all students attending a high school in Australia (at the date of submission). Submissions are generally from individuals or pairs, but group submissions are permitted up to a maximum of 5 students. The number of book prizes is limited to two per submission. Students may only make one submission per year.

What we’re looking for: Prize entries will consist of a description of a thought experiment of no more than 300 words (see here for ideas). Along with this, the student may, if they wish, add a note of no more than 100 words explaining what they think the thought experiment shows. It is anticipated that most entries will be text based. However, entries may also include images or diagrams.

How to enter: Email your submission as a pdf or docx attachment to Dr Tom Cochrane at <tom.cochrane@flinders.edu.au> with the subject heading ‘thought experiment competition’. The email should include your full name, date of birth, school, and a relevant teacher’s email address (who can be included as an addressee). General queries about the competition may also be sent to this address.

Prize: The winning entry will be made into a short animated film which that will be put onto YouTube. The winner and up to four additional runners up will also receive a book prize. By entering the prize, entrants agree that their entries may be edited by staff at Flinders University and publicized online. Winners and runners up may also be invited to visit Flinders University to collect their prize.

We aim to let entrants know the outcome within 4 weeks of the competition deadline.

Teachers: Please get in touch if you would like a philosopher to come to your school to give a class on thought experiments (or philosophy more generally). We are happy to come in person if you are based in the Adelaide region or give a class online if you are further afield. We are also happy to share a lesson plan on thought experiments if you get in contact.

The Flinders Thought Experiment Competition is sponsored by the Australasian Association of Philosophy.