German-Austrian Physics Tournament

From 15 to 18 January, the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research hosted the 8th German Physics Tournament (GPT), welcoming one visiting team from Austria (TU Wien).

This year’s edition brought together nine teams and around 70 external participants (around 90 people including the MPI-FKF community), creating an international and collaborative environment focused on scientific discussion, teamwork, and problem-solving at a high academic level.

The problem list was published in the summer of 2025, giving teams several months to prepare their work. During this time, participants designed experiments, collected data, and developed mathematical models to address the problems.

Here an example of one of the problems proposed for the competition is shown below (the full list is available here):

The Life of Beer Foam

Investigate the dynamics of beer foam (or the foam of any equivalent non-alcoholic drink) after pouring. Study and characterize the relevant parameters of the foam evolution. Maximize the lifetime of the foam per unit volume of beer.

A problem which immediately sets the right tone for the tournament. 

Teams presented their solutions to a jury composed of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers from the Max Planck Institute, as well as to opposing teams. The opponents actively participated by asking questions, providing constructive criticism, and suggesting possible improvements.

The jury evaluated not only the quality of the presentations, but also the moderation of the discussion and the scientific value of the raised criticisms. The tournament emphasizes that scientific progress arises not only from finding solutions, but also from engaging in open, critical, and collaborative discussion.

The goal of the GPT is to prepare students to tackle complex problems that go beyond standard bachelor’s or master’s curricula, while promoting cooperation and respectful, judgment-free peer confrontation, all attributes that must be at the very heart of the scientific community.

Throughout the tournament, the atmosphere remained dynamic and cheerful. Participants showed great dedication and fully embraced the spirit of the event, which prioritizes constructive debate, networking, and strong team spirit.

We warmly congratulate and thank all participating teams for their enthusiasm and commitment. Special congratulations go to Team “LMUminosity” from Munich, who won the tournament after several days of challenging—yet friendly—scientific discussions.
We wish all participants every success in their future academic and professional paths!

Organization and Acknowledgments

We extend our sincere thanks to the entire organization team of the German Physics Tournament as well as to Prof. Bernhard Keimer, who gave full support and provided funding for the organization of GPT 2026 in the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research . Special thanks go to Denise S. Christovam and Mário M. de Oliveira for their dedication in organizing the event over the past months and throughout the tournament weekend. 

We also thank the scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research and other institutions who served on the jury and contributed their time and expertise to the success of the tournament.

 

All the credits for the above pictures go to © MPI FKF.