Poland Closes Out 2026 with a Clean Sweep of the World’s Top Programming and Math Olympiads
Poland Closes Out 2026 with a Clean Sweep of the World’s Top Programming and Math Olympiads
September 3, 2026
With the International Olympiad in Informatics wrapping up on August 16 in Tashkent, Poland’s 2026 competitive season is officially over. The final tally is striking: medals at every world-level competition its students qualified for, across both programming and mathematics.
The Season Closer: International Olympiad in Informatics
At the International Olympiad in Informatics, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 375 competitors from 92 countries and territories took part, with each country contributing up to four secondary school students. Official statistics show that Poland’s team secured two gold medals, one silver medal, and one honorable mention.
Artur Smoleński, who was a first-year student at XIV Liceum im. Stanisława Staszica in Warsaw, came 6th in the competition and secured a gold medal. Krzysztof Tomasz Witkowski, also a first-year student at the same school, finished 17th and also won a gold medal. Franciszek Szymula, a fourth-year student at V Liceum im. Augusta Witkowskiego in Kraków, won a silver medal and placed 75th. Stanisław Lada, a fourth-year student at XIV LO in Warsaw who is graduating this year, was awarded an honorable mention. China is the only country to have won more gold medals this year, with three; Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Russia and the United States each won two.
Dr. Paweł Gawrychowski, scientific secretary of Poland’s national Informatics Olympiad, led the team. It also included Antoni Buraczewski, a student at the University of Wrocław and a gold medalist at the IOI 2023.
Participants from the left: Franciszek Szymula, Artur Smoleński, Krzysztof Tomasz Witkowski and Stanisław Lada
Earlier in the Season
That achievement concluded a remarkable season that began many months earlier. When the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics took place from May 12 to 18 in Cesenatico, Italy, Poland’s four-member team won a medal in each category: gold for Daria Lobas, silver for Patrycja Pisanko, and bronze for both Joanna Potempa and Kalina Staszewska; Paulina Żeleźnik and Milena Jaroszewicz, who had previously been medalists at EGOI, coached the team.
From the left: Paulina Żeleźnik, Patrycja Pisanko, Joanna Potempa, Daria Lobas, Kalina Staszewska, Milena Jaroszewicz and Rafał Sikorski
At the International Mathematical Olympiad, held July 14 to 21 in Shanghai, Poland’s team secured two gold medals, one silver, and three bronzes. Antoni Mazur and Michał Wolny each earned 29 points to win gold medals, Tymon Sidor took silver with 27 points, and Antoni Nowosielski, Robert Rośczak, and Maksymilian Czyżewski earned bronze medals. The country finished 25th among the 117 national teams, coached by Dominik Burek and Tomasz Cieśla.
Polish students also won medals at each regional competition they took part in: they secured four gold medals and two silver ones at the Baltic Olympiad in Informatics, and two gold medals and one silver medal at the Central European Olympiad in Informatics, where Artur Smoleński won the individual competition in both cases.
From the left: dam Gąsienica-Samek, Artur Smoleński, Krzysztof Tomasz Witkowski, Michał Piotr Wolny, Jakub Woźniak, Michał Adam Roguz, Piotr Dybich, Bartosz Kostka.
Why This Matters for Employers
No individual result is noteworthy on its own. Together, they reveal a pipeline: the same small group of Polish secondary school students securing podium finishes at a number of international competitions in two different disciplines within a single season, which is now officially over.
That same pattern is clear at university level. Since 2000, Polish teams have won 23 medals at the ICPC World Finals, including two World Championship titles, as described in our Strong IT Skills of Polish Developers article. For companies setting up engineering teams in Poland, the relevant signal is simple: Polish students post results like this every year, often well before they reach university.
Poland Closes Out 2026 with a Clean Sweep of the World’s Top Programming and Math Olympiads
With the International Olympiad in Informatics wrapping up on August 16 in Tashkent, Poland’s 2026 competitive season is officially over. The final tally is striking: medals at every world-level competition its students qualified for, across both programming and mathematics.
The Season Closer: International Olympiad in Informatics
At the International Olympiad in Informatics, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 375 competitors from 92 countries and territories took part, with each country contributing up to four secondary school students. Official statistics show that Poland’s team secured two gold medals, one silver medal, and one honorable mention.
Artur Smoleński, who was a first-year student at XIV Liceum im. Stanisława Staszica in Warsaw, came 6th in the competition and secured a gold medal. Krzysztof Tomasz Witkowski, also a first-year student at the same school, finished 17th and also won a gold medal. Franciszek Szymula, a fourth-year student at V Liceum im. Augusta Witkowskiego in Kraków, won a silver medal and placed 75th. Stanisław Lada, a fourth-year student at XIV LO in Warsaw who is graduating this year, was awarded an honorable mention. China is the only country to have won more gold medals this year, with three; Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Russia and the United States each won two.
Dr. Paweł Gawrychowski, scientific secretary of Poland’s national Informatics Olympiad, led the team. It also included Antoni Buraczewski, a student at the University of Wrocław and a gold medalist at the IOI 2023.
Earlier in the Season
That achievement concluded a remarkable season that began many months earlier. When the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics took place from May 12 to 18 in Cesenatico, Italy, Poland’s four-member team won a medal in each category: gold for Daria Lobas, silver for Patrycja Pisanko, and bronze for both Joanna Potempa and Kalina Staszewska; Paulina Żeleźnik and Milena Jaroszewicz, who had previously been medalists at EGOI, coached the team.
At the International Mathematical Olympiad, held July 14 to 21 in Shanghai, Poland’s team secured two gold medals, one silver, and three bronzes. Antoni Mazur and Michał Wolny each earned 29 points to win gold medals, Tymon Sidor took silver with 27 points, and Antoni Nowosielski, Robert Rośczak, and Maksymilian Czyżewski earned bronze medals. The country finished 25th among the 117 national teams, coached by Dominik Burek and Tomasz Cieśla.
Polish students also won medals at each regional competition they took part in: they secured four gold medals and two silver ones at the Baltic Olympiad in Informatics, and two gold medals and one silver medal at the Central European Olympiad in Informatics, where Artur Smoleński won the individual competition in both cases.
Why This Matters for Employers
No individual result is noteworthy on its own. Together, they reveal a pipeline: the same small group of Polish secondary school students securing podium finishes at a number of international competitions in two different disciplines within a single season, which is now officially over.
That same pattern is clear at university level. Since 2000, Polish teams have won 23 medals at the ICPC World Finals, including two World Championship titles, as described in our Strong IT Skills of Polish Developers article. For companies setting up engineering teams in Poland, the relevant signal is simple: Polish students post results like this every year, often well before they reach university.
Photo sources: IOI official Polish website, Mathematical Olympiad FB page
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