The third edition of the National Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (ONIA) has designated the winners of the national phase. The composition of the national team, which will represent Romania at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), scheduled for August 2-8 in Kazakhstan, will be determined during the selection stage. This decisive stage will take place from May 21-25 and will be organized jointly by the West University of Timișoara and the Politehnica University of Timișoara.
Bucharest, April 21, 2026 - The national phase of the National Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (ONIA) 2026 concluded on April 20 at the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest (UNSTPB) and brought together 159 qualified students from county phases, which engaged over 400 students from 39 counties across Romania. Competitors were distributed across two study levels: 71 participants in the 9th–10th grade section and 88 in the 11th–12th grade section. A distinctive note of this edition was the participation of five 8th-grade students, enrolled as special guests, who solved the problems designed for the high school level.
In the 9th-10th grade section, 1st Prize was won by Dedu Răzvan-Matei, 10th grade (Theoretical High School "Mihai Eminescu" Călărași), 2nd Prize by Stoica Mihnea-Teodor, 10th grade, and 3rd Prize by Mureșan Luca Valentin, 10th grade (both from the International Theoretical High School of Computer Science Bucharest).
In the 11th-12th grade section, 1st Prize was won by Petrean Roland, 11th grade (National College "Silvania" Zalău), 2nd Prize by Georgescu David, 11th grade (National College "Constantin Diaconovici Loga" Timișoara), and 3rd Prize by Gheorghică Istrate David, 11th grade (National College "Mircea cel Bătrân" Constanța).
"The most important benefit was not necessarily the place I ranked - although, obviously, the result makes me very happy - but rather connecting with the community of AI enthusiasts. There were a few intense days where we solved many problems together, but above all we exchanged many ideas and learned from each other"
This year's tasks addressed advanced AI development and ethics problems, designed to reflect the latest trends in technology. Participants had to solve practical tasks that included training artificial intelligence models, optimizing algorithms, and running generative AI systems locally, without internet access. Additionally, an important evaluation component consisted of analyzing ethical problems derived from AI implementation, testing students' ability to identify algorithmic biases and propose responsible solutions.
The national competition takes place in the context of remarkable previous performances by Romanian teams. At the 2025 IOAI edition, organized in Beijing, our country's representatives won 8 medals (1 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze) in a competition with 284 students from 53 countries. The current generation of ONIA participants is preparing to continue this trajectory of performance internationally.
"The level of solutions presented reflects rigorous preparation in the field of artificial intelligence. The tasks highlighted participants' ability to approach varied tasks, and the results demonstrate a solid understanding of machine learning models and modern methods from the specialized literature"
Although it is a very new field, the competition already has a 3-year history, the National Artificial Intelligence Olympiad joining traditional science olympiads such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Beyond the olympiad itself, ONIA also engages a collective of over 300 students and teachers on the community's official Discord channel.
Student preparation is done on a dedicated platform, natively built in 30 languages and accessed by students from over 20 countries, similar to the official platform of the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), with scientific content validated by the Ministry of Education. More details at platform.olimpiada-ai.ro
The current edition of ONIA benefited from a message of support from the Presidential Administration, being organized with the support of private sector partners - Bitdefender, Aumovio, eMAG, Google and SAP.
About the National Artificial Intelligence Olympiad (ONIA)
ONIA is the only official competition accredited by the Romanian Ministry of Education for this field. The organizers aim to evaluate and develop young people's AI competencies, as well as select and prepare the national team. ONIA is organized by the Romanian Computer Science Teachers' Union (UPIR), under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Romanian Hub for Artificial Intelligence (HRIA) and academic partners: National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, University of Bucharest, West University of Timișoara, and Politehnica University of Timișoara.
About the Romanian Computer Science Teachers' Union (UPIR)
UPIR is the professional association that brings together computer science teachers in Romania. Founded in 1999, it has benefited since 2009 from a collaboration protocol with the Ministry of Education for the development of IT&C in schools. The association brings together 670 teachers and university faculty and contributes together with academic partners to the preparation of the teams representing Romania at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI).
UPIR Press Office
Official accreditation regulation: details here