Australian Science Innovations is thrilled to announce the results for the Australian team who competed in the 2025 Asian Physics Olympiad from 4 to 12 May in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Congratulations to our team on your amazing results.

Houlai Zhou	Sydney Grammar School, NSW	Gold
Yichen Yang	Trinity Grammar School, Kew, VIC	Silver
Owen Zhai	Brisbane State High School, QLD	Silver
Isaac Chan	Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics & Technology, QLD	Bronze
Matthew Yan	Balwyn High School, VIC	Bronze
Julian Thomas	Merewether High School, NSW	Honourable Mention
Janice Chang	Baulkham Hills High School, NSW	Honourable Mention
Zhenghao Ou	Cannon Hill Anglican College, QLD	Honourable Mention

An incredible effort by all. Congratulations also go to Program Director, Lachlan McGinness, and Deputy Program Director, Maggie Webber, along with a team of tutors and mentors, including Grace McGinness and Raymond Trinh, who accompanied the team to Saudi Arabia.

We would like to thank everyone who helped the team achieve this incredible result. Thank you to…

• The program directors, tutors, volunteers and team behind the scenes.
• The science teachers and schools who supported the team
• All the families and friends for supporting such remarkable young people
• The 2025 APhO team who have worked hard and achieved so much

Thank you to the hosts, who shared great video and photos from the 2025 APhO, featured here along with photos supplied by the Australian team.

Introducing the 2025 APhO Australian Team

Houlai Zhou | Sydney Grammar School

“The problems that are set are usually extremely insightful and use a set of foundational ideas in very unique ways. The opportunity to go overseas and be exposed to a new set of culture and history is also exciting to me.”

Isaac Chan | Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics & Technology

“The highlight of Summer School was definitely the labs – the time pressure sucks but often gives an adrenaline rush, and also I got to use new fancy equipment which I have never used in my life before.”

Janice Chang | Baulkham Hills High School

Janice is “looking forward to meeting like minded people from countries all over the world, getting to know people I wouldn’t otherwise ever meet and hopefully bonding over a shared interest in physics.”

Julian Thomas | Merewether High School

Julian’s favourite discipline is physics, as it is “more about the processes that can explain and be applied to new situations. It is also the language of the universe and where all other science gets its roots.”

Matthew Yan | Balwyn High School

Matthew is “really looking forward to travelling and meeting all the other participants from other countries. There must be so much to see and explore alongside doing my favourite subject!”

Owen Zhai | Brisbane State High School

“I love physics because it allows us to formalise our intuition of the everyday world and how we can use this information to ensure that how we interact with the world is best.”

Yichen Yang | Trinity Grammar School, Kew

Yichen is “looking forward to immersing myself in local culture and touring the cities we visit. I’m also looking forward to meeting new friends from across the globe who also love physics.”

Zhenghao Ou | Cannon Hill Anglican College

“The most enjoyable part of Summer School for me was definitely meeting the other brilliant physics students from all across the country and the opportunity to learn from some of the best in Australia, who taught the subject through a very intuitive lens.”

We wish them all the best in the future and hope to see more of these young scientists!