September 4, 2023, Budapest – Hungary hosted the world’s most prestigious student programming competition, the 35th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). 350 exceptionally talented young programmers competed in Szeged. Hungarian contestants performed admirably, securing one silver medal, five bronze medals, and two honorable mentions. At the conclusion of the Olympiad, the official IOI flag and the rights to host the event were handed over to representatives from the Arab Republic of Egypt.
The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), held annually since 1989, is one of the most important events in international computer science education and talent development for high school students from invited countries. It is one of the major international scientific olympiads and one of the most prestigious informatics competitions globally. This year’s competition took place at the Pick Arena in Szeged, where 360 contestants competed over two days, with a 5-hour competition period each day, testing their skills in tasks such as problem analysis, designing algorithms and data structures, as well as programming and testing.
Hungarian contestants performed well at the competition. Bernát Tarján, a student from Békásmegyeri Veres Péter High School, achieved the best result, winning a silver medal based on his scores. Five Hungarian youths won bronze medals at IOI2023:
- István Ádám Molnár (Földes Ferenc High School, Miskolc)
- Lőrinc Máté (Fazekas Mihály Primary School and High School, Budapest)
- Máté Fülöp (Békásmegyeri Veres Péter High School)
- Márton Tamás Németh (Fazekas Mihály Primary School and High School, Budapest)
- Marcell Németh (ELTE Bolyai János Primary School and High School, Szombathely)
In addition to them, Bendegúz Vámosi (Péter Fazekas Mihály High School, Debrecen) and Pál Czanik (Fazekas Mihály Primary School and High School, Budapest) also performed well, receiving honorable mentions from the jury.
“Informatics is an area that has not only brought technological revolution but also fundamentally transformed everyday life for humanity. We live in an age where the power of information and data shapes society and the economy in every corner of the world. Therefore, the young minds standing before us are not only developing codes and algorithms but also shaping the future of humanity,” greeted Gergely Fábián, State Secretary for Industry Policy and Technology at the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation, and Technology, the contestants at the closing ceremony of IOI2023.
The Arab Republic of Egypt takes over the baton
The right to organize the competition is determined by an international committee. In 2024, the host will be the Arab Republic of Egypt. Representing next year’s host, Her Excellency Eng. Ghada Labib, Deputy Minister for Institutional Development and Communication and Information Technology, received the flag of the International Olympiad in Informatics. The day after the closing ceremony, the Egyptian deputy minister and her delegation held talks with Gergely Fábián, State Secretary for Industry Policy and Technology at the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation, and Technology, in Budapest to deepen cooperation between the two countries.
The 35th International Olympiad in Informatics was organized with the professional leadership and support of the Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation, and Technology, the Neumann János Nonprofit Kft., the University of Szeged, and TechEd Hungary Zrt.
