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Two gold and two silver medals from the International Olympiad in Informatics in Bolivia
Photo Credit: olympicbg.org
The Bulgarian national team in informatics achieved its best ranking in history at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), winning 2 gold and 2 silver medals. In the unofficial team ranking, Bulgaria ranks fourth in the world, ahead of traditionally strong teams such as those of the USA and Japan.
The Olympiad was held from July 27 to August 3, 2025, in Sucre, Bolivia, and brought together 330 competitors from 84 countries. Our gold medalist, Vesselin Markovich, ranked among the top 10 in the world in the individual ranking.
Gold medals were won by:
- Vesselin Markovich
Vesselin is a medalist from the most prestigious international Olympiads in informatics and mathematics. He has been part of the national team for three years, and this year he also returned with a silver medal from the International Mathematical Olympiad in Australia. - Aleksandar Gatev
The 12th grader is a gold medalist at the Romanian Master of Informatics 2025, the Zhautikov and Central European Olympiads. This is his second participation in the IOI.
Silver medals were won by:
- Andrey Stefanov
Although only in the tenth grade, Andrey can already boast two silver medals from the IOI and a silver medal from the International Mathematical Olympiad. He started programming in the 3rd grade and has been competing actively since the 6th grade. - Boris Mihov
Boris is a three-time participant in the national team, with medals from numerous international competitions. He also won first place at the National Olympiad in Informatics in 2025.
The team leaders are Iliyan Yordanov (IMI–BAS) and Viktor Kozhuharov, who, with their long-term work and dedication, contribute to the development of young talents in informatics.
An interesting and little-known fact is that in 1989, at the initiative of Prof. Sendov and Prof. Kenderov, Bulgaria became the organizer and host of the first International Olympiad in Informatics. It was held in Pravets with only 13 participating countries. Today, the number of participating countries exceeds 80. Bulgaria is one of the few countries that has participated in all editions of the Olympiad so far. Our competitors have brought our country 29 gold, 57 silver and 45 bronze medals. In addition to 1989, Bulgaria hosted the Olympiad once more, in 2009, when it was held in Plovdiv.
The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) is one of several international science Olympiads held annually around the world. Exceptional high school students from various countries compete in this prestigious algorithmic competition to sharpen their informatics skills — such as problem analysis, design of algorithms and data structures, programming, and testing.
Main Objectives of IOI
- To discover, encourage, and recognize talented high school students in informatics.
- To foster friendly international relations among computer scientists and educators.
- To promote the discipline of informatics to young people globally.
- To support the organization of future IOIs and national contests.
Each participating country selects a team of up to four contestants accompanied by leaders. The team competes individually in two intense competition days, solving complex problems within limited time, testing their creativity, algorithmic knowledge, and problem-solving skills.
Six Medals for Bulgaria at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad in Australia
Bulgarian students achieved another remarkable success by winning three silver and three bronze medals at the 66th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), held in Australia. The competition brought together 630 students from 110 countries, and Bulgaria ranked 23rd in the unofficial team standings.
Silver medals were awarded to:
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Angel Hristov (12th grade, High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences – Burgas), who was only one point away from a gold medal.
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Andrey Stefanov (10th grade, Private High School of Mathematics – Sofia).
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Veselin Markovich (12th grade, Varna High School of Mathematics).
Bronze medals were earned by:
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Petko Lazarov (12th grade, High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences – Burgas), also just one point short of a higher award.
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Georgi Nikolov (11th grade, Sofia High School of Mathematics).
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Iliya Vasilev (12th grade, Private High School of Mathematics – Sofia).
The team was led by Prof. Emil Kolev and Prof. Stanislav Harizanov from the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
The International Mathematical Olympiad is the oldest and most prestigious mathematics competition in the world, first held in 1959 in Romania. Bulgaria is one of the few countries that has participated in every single edition since its beginning.
Congratulations to our exceptional students and their devoted leaders for continuing Bulgaria’s proud tradition in mathematical excellence!
25th Summer Research School in Mathematics and Informatics Opens in Varna
Today marks the opening of the 25th Summer Research School in Mathematics and Informatics (SRS’25) at the Creative Home of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) near Varna. The school is organised by the High School Students’ Institute of Mathematics and Informatics (HSSIMI) and proudly celebrates its 25th edition this year.
Over the next three weeks, 50 high school students from across Bulgaria with outstanding interests and achievements in mathematics, informatics, and information technologies will participate in the program. The school traditionally includes international participation, and the official working language is English. This year, six students from Luxembourg, India, Pakistan and Turkey have joined their Bulgarian peers.
As in previous editions, the first week of the program features lectures by leading experts in mathematics, informatics, and IT. Each student will work independently or in co-authorship on an individual research project, guided by a mentor. The program offers a unique opportunity to build strong academic and professional connections, benefiting both students and mentors alike.
At the end of the summer school, all student projects are presented at a final seminar. Many participants continue to develop their work beyond the school, and each year, SIMI alumni present their research at national and international science forums. Several have received recognition at prestigious global competitions such as EUCYS, the Regeneron ISEF, and Expo Sciences. Collaborations between students and mentors often lead to scientific publications.
Founded in 2000, the Student Institute of Mathematics and Informatics has consistently supported talented youth in taking their first steps in science. The Summer Research School is made possible thanks to HSSIMI’s founding institutions: the Union of Bulgarian Mathematicians, the Evrika Foundation, the International Foundation “St. Cyril and St. Methodius”, and the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at BAS.
The SRS is led by Prof. Emil Kolev (IMI–BAS), with Emil Kelevedjiev (IMI–BAS) serving as deputy head and responsible for the informatics program. Both are highly experienced in working with gifted students and in preparing the Bulgarian national teams for mathematics and informatics Olympiads.
The Summer School is held with the support of the National Program “Education with Science”.
Prof. Julian Revalski was awarded one of France’s most prestigious state awards
At an official ceremony held on June 25, 2025, at the French Embassy in Sofia, Prof. Julian Revalski was awarded one of the most prestigious awards of the French Republic – the Order of Academic Palms (Ordre des Palmes Académiques). The Order of Academic Palms is the third-highest in France after the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit.
The award was presented to him by His Excellency Joël Meyer, Ambassador of France to Bulgaria. Special guests at the ceremony were the Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Krasimir Valchev, the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Evelina Slavcheva, the Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Prof. Georgi Valchev, the Director of IMI-BAS, Prof. Petar Boyvalenkov, members of the academic community, journalists, and prominent public figures.
Prof. Revalski is an internationally recognised mathematician, a scientist with an exceptional contribution to science and society, a visionary and an erudite administrator who enjoys respect and trust in the Bulgarian and international scientific community.
L’ordre des Palmes académiques is one of the most prestigious distinctions awarded by the French Republic in recognition of contributions to education, culture, and the promotion of the French language worldwide. Although formally established in its current form in 1955, the order traces its origins back to 1808, when Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte introduced a special honorary decoration to acknowledge the merits of university professors and academic staff. Over time, the scope of the order broadened. Today, it is awarded not only to members of the academic community but also to individuals from a wide range of professions who have made significant contributions to the advancement of education, intercultural exchange, and the dissemination of the French language and culture.
Prof. Julian Revalski was President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the period 2016 – 2024, Director of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences from 2013 to 2016, and currently Director of the International Center for Mathematical Sciences at the IMI-BAS.
His scientific activity is in the field of Operations Research – optimisation, variational analysis, game theory; in functional analysis – with an emphasis on the geometry of Banach spaces and monotone operators; as well as in the field of general topology – topological methods in optimisation and set-valued mappings. He is the author of over 60 scientific publications, which have been cited more than 600 times, a significant part of which are in prestigious international journals with a high impact factor.
Prof. Revalski has extensive international academic experience – he was a visiting professor at universities in Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Peru, and others.
As a director of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics and later as the president of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Revalski has been actively working to attract young talents to science and the international recognition of the Bulgarian mathematical school. His dedicated work to improving the connections between Bulgarian mathematicians working abroad and their colleagues in our country led to the organisation and holding of the extremely successful forum “Mathematics Days in Sofia” (MDS), which was held for the first time in 2014 and has had three editions since then. Prof. Revalski played a key role in the creation of the IMI Mathematics Prize, which is given to Bulgarian citizens with high achievements in the field of mathematics and which has been awarded since 2014. In 2019, together with Prof. Blagovest Sendov, he was among the founders of the International Center for Mathematical Sciences at IMI-BAS (ICMS-Sofia), whose director he has been since 2024.
A few days ago, Prof. Revalski was also elected President of the Union of Bulgarian Mathematicians – an organisation with nearly 130 years of history, whose main goal is the development and popularisation of mathematics and computer science and their applications at all levels in education, science, and business.
Thr
oughout his academic career, Prof. Revalski has demonstrated his clear vision for the role of science in society and has defended his active position in cooperation with state institutions, including the Ministry of Education and Science, the Council of Ministers, the line ministers, the Presidency of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Council of Rectors. He has consistently worked to improve the funding and expand the international partnership of the Academy.
International Conference Biomath 2025
The annual international conference Biomath – Mathematical Methods and Models in Biosciences will take place from 15 to 20 June 2025 at the campus of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, hosted jointly by the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics and the Institute of Mechanics.
Biomath 2025 is dedicated to recent research in the life sciences grounded in mathematical modelling and methodology. The conference serves as a multidisciplinary meeting point for researchers developing and applying mathematical and computational tools in fields such as biology, ecology, medicine, biophysics, biochemistry, pharmacokinetics, chemoinformatics, biotechnology, bioengineering, environmental sciences, and other related disciplines.
The event continues a longstanding tradition of biomathematical meetings dating back to 1995. It is organized with the support of various institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as well as major academic institutions such as Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski”, South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, the Union of Bulgarian Mathematicians, and the Biomath Forum. International partners include the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics and the DST/NRF SARChI Chair on Mathematical Models and Methods in Bioengineering and Biosciences at the University of Pretoria, and the Institute of Applied Mathematics at the University of Warsaw.
Running in parallel with the conference, the Biomath School for Young Scientists offers plenary lectures and dedicated sessions for contributed talks by early-career researchers. The lectures are designed to provide accessible introductions to current research topics and are delivered by some of the conference’s keynote speakers. A highlight of the school is the Hot Topics Workshop, where leading experts present emerging areas of research and outline open problems. All participating PhD students and young scientists are considered members of the school.
Further details and the full program can be found at the official conference website: www.biomath.bg/2025
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