TEHRAN – Iranian students succeeded to win a bronze medal and three honorable mentions at the 22nd International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) held from August 11 to 17 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The International Geography Olympiad is the world’s premier academic competition for secondary school students. It is held under the auspices of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and organized by the IGU Olympiad Commission. This year’s competition brought together more than 180 participants from over 50 countries.

Helia Khodabandelou grabbed the bronze medal, while Setayesh Haqnazari, Artina Heidari, and Sana Karbalaei received international diploma of honors.

The iGeo consists of three main parts: Written Response Test (40 percent) which involves analytical questions covering physical, human, and regional geography; Multimedia Test (20 percent), including map interpretation, graphs, photos, and data analysis; and Fieldwork Exercise (40 percent), including real-world data collection and analysis (at Istanbul sites this year).

The four students attended the Open International Geography Olympiad (OpenGeo) 2026, winning four medals, including a silver medal and three bronze medals for the first time. Heidari won the silver medal; Haqnazari, Karbalaei Vali, and Khodabandelou received the bronze medals, IRIB reported.

The achievement showcased the Iranian students’ comprehensive expertise in geography. The OpenGeo aims to promote interest in geography among secondary school students worldwide; develop geographical thinking, analytical, and practical skills among school students and future geographers; and support international connections between young geographers.

Recent achievements

Iranian students clinched medals and an honorable mention at the 9th International Economics Olympiad (IEO 2026) held from July 12-20 in Shenzhen China, and the 38th edition of International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) held from August 9 to 16 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

This year, 270 students from 54 countries attended the IEO competition. MobinKarimiDizicheh secured silver medal. He received an honorable mention and also won Best in Finance, Borna news agency reported.

Mohammad-Hossein Rahiminejad, Alireza Atashi, and Ehsan Zolfaghari won the bronze medals.

IEO is an annual competition for high school students around the world in the areas of Economics and Finance. The Olympiad is supported by Eric Maskin, winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2007.

Meanwhile, a total of 386 students from more than 97 countries participated in this year’s IOI competition.

Hamed Ghaffari-Aghdas and Arash Ostadsharif-Memar grabbed the silver medals, while Mohammad Shayan won the bronze medal. Moreover, Bahamin Shafaqi received an honorable mention.

The IOI is one of the several international science Olympiads held annually around the world. Exceptional high school students from various countries compete in the prestigious algorithmic competition to sharpen their informatics skills – such as problem analysis, design of algorithms and data structures, programming, and testing.

Iranian students won a gold medal, two silver medals, and a bronze medal at the third edition of the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI 2026), held from August 2-8 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

IOAI is the International Science Olympiad in AI for high school students. It aims to inspire young people globally in science, focusing on AI. The competition provides a platform for top AI students selected through national competitions to compete, exchange ideas, and build connections, fostering a dialogue on AI’s opportunities and ethical challenges among students and the community.

Shayan Rezaeizadeh grabbed the gold medal, Mohammad-Reza Darvishi, and Mohammad-Amin Nazmfar won the silver medals, while Mani Monjipor received the bronze medal, IRNA reported.

This year’s competition brought together over 120 teams, more than 500 students from 103 countries and territories around the world to compete in AI and machine learning (ML) challenges.
Iranian students delivered an outstanding performance, clinching three gold medals and a silver medal at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO), and three silver medals and a bronze medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

The 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2026) took place from July 12 to 19 in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania. The event brought together participants from some 80 countries across five continents.

Radin Bayani, Mohammad-Reza Vaezi, and Amir-Hossein Nosrati grabbed gold medals, while Amir-Hossein Hemmati won the silver medal, IRIB reported.

The 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO 2026) was held from July 10 to 19 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Over 350 students from 90 countries attended the event.

Ali Shamsi-Mofakhar, Mahyar Najar, and Amir-Reza Hosseini secured silver medals, while Ario Seirafi won the bronze medal.
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The five-member team of Iranian students has demonstrated a remarkable achievement, garnering three gold medals and two silver medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO).

Held from July 4 to 12 in Bucaramanga, Colombia, the IPhO 2026 brought together over 400 students from more than 90 countries, Javanonline.ir reported.

Hirbod Foudazi, Kian Zarrabian, and Mohammad Mirmohammadi secured gold medals, while Amir-Sam Goharpey and Nima Koushki won silver medals.

Iran’s Physics Olympiad team, consisting of five students, has achieved an astounding triumph at the International Scientific Physics Olympiad 2026, winning two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze.

Hirbod Foudazi was ranked first among all participants, receiving the title of absolute winner, achieving the best result in the Theoretical Exam, and grabbing the gold medal and the national diamond, IRNA reported.

Amir-Sam Goharpey won the other gold medal; Kian Zarrabian and Mohammad Mirmohammadi received a silver medal and a bronze medal, respectively.

MT/MG