Four world-level competitions. Four sets of medals. That’s how Poland’s secondary school students closed out the 2026 season in international programming and math olympiads, with the last of them wrapping up on August 16 in Tashkent.
International Olympiad in Informatics
375 competitors from 92 countries and territories took part in the International Olympiad in Informatics, which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with each country sending a maximum of four secondary school students. Poland’s team secured two gold medals, one silver medal, and one honourable mention.
Artur Smoleński, who was a first-year student at XIV Liceum im. Stanisława Staszica in Warsaw, came 6th and earned a gold medal. Krzysztof Tomasz Witkowski, likewise a first-year student at that same school, obtained the 17th position and won a gold medal. Franciszek Szymula, a fourth-year student at V Liceum im. Augusta Witkowskiego in Kraków, secured silver and finished in 75th place. Stanisław Lada, another fourth-year student from XIV Liceum in Warsaw who was graduating, was awarded an honorable mention. China was the only country to win more gold medals that year, with three.
The team was headed by Dr. Paweł Gawrychowski, the scientific secretary of Poland’s national Informatics Olympiad, and Antoni Buraczewski, a student at the University of Wrocław and a gold medalist at the IOI 2023.
European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics
At the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics, which took place from May 12 to 18 in Cesenatico, Italy, Poland’s four-member team secured a medal in each category: Daria Lobas received a gold medal, Patrycja Pisanko was awarded a silver medal, and both Joanna Potempa and Kalina Staszewska each obtained a bronze medal. The team was coached by Paulina Żeleźnik and Milena Jaroszewicz, who had both previously won medals at the EGOI.
International Mathematical Olympiad
At the International Mathematical Olympiad, which took place from July 14 to 21 in Shanghai, Poland’s team secured two gold medals, one silver, and three bronzes: Antoni Mazur and Michał Wolny each obtained 29 points to win the gold medal, Tymon Sidor earned the silver with 27 points, and Antoni Nowosielski, Robert Rośczak, and Maksymilian Czyżewski took the bronze medals. The country finished in 25th place among the 117 national teams, the team being coached by Dominik Burek and Tomasz Cieśla.
Regional Competitions
Polish students also won medals at each of the regional competitions they took part in that season: they secured four gold and two silver medals at the Baltic Olympiad in Informatics and two gold and one silver at the Central European Olympiad in Informatics, where Artur Smoleński won the individual title at both events.
Why We’re Covering This
These students have not yet entered the job market; most of them are still at secondary school, but for companies setting up engineering teams in Poland, outcomes such as these offer a look at the talent pipeline several years before it reaches the workforce. We have seen this same pattern at university level previously: since 2000 Polish teams have won 23 medals at the ICPC World Finals, including two World Championship titles. The students topping the podium today are the engineers this pipeline will be producing in five to ten years.
If you’re planning engineering headcount in Poland further out than your next hire, we’re happy to talk through what that pipeline actually looks like.
Photo sources: IOI official Polish website, Mathematical Olympiad FB page