WSU will be hosting the initial round of this year’s North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition Jan 25.

The competition is scheduled to run from 9–noon. in Avery Hall’s Bundy Reading Room. The event is free and open to all high school students, according to WSU Insider.

The purpose of the contest is for high school students to solve linguistic problems while teaching them about the diversity and consistency of language, according to the NACLO website. The event has been held since 2007.

“No prior knowledge of linguistics or second languages is necessary,” the NACLO website says. “The competition has attracted top students to study and work in those same fields. It is truly an opportunity for young people to experience a taste of natural-language processing in the 21st century.”

The idea for the competition to be held locally came from Georgia Colvig, Pullman High School junior, who was interested in participating in the competition. Colvig reached out to linguistics professor Nancy Bell, who in turn encouraged WSU to set up the competition.

Students who do well in the open round will be eligible to compete in the International Linguistics Olympiad, where they will participate against students from around the world.