Russia to Host International Robotics Olympiad «Bolshie Vyzovy» for the First Time

The first international robotics olympiad

Russia will host an international robotics olympiad for the first time — the Open International Olympiad «Bolshie Vyzovy» (Big Challenges), which starts on November 14. This was announced by the educational center «Sirius». In the 2026/27 academic year, the competition will be held in a pilot format with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education; the organizers are the Educational Foundation «Talent and Success» together with the Scientific and Technological University «Sirius», the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

The theme of the season — «Agent in the Arctic»

The main challenge of the season is called «Agent in the Arctic»: participants will have to present autonomous systems capable of operating in harsh northern conditions — from research robots and assistants for polar stations to monitoring systems and teams of cooperating machines. No ready-made universal solutions are provided; each task requires its own approach. A distinctive feature of the olympiad is that the tasks are based on real industry challenges from industrial partners and take into account the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of Russia.

Who can participate and how

Students from grades 3 to 11 can participate, divided into four age leagues: «Pervootkryvatel» (Discoverer) (grades 3–4), «Issledovatel» (Researcher) (5–6), «Inzhener» (Engineer) (7–9) and «Razrabotchik» (Developer) (10–11). The first, engagement stage will be held remotely on November 14–15 on the «Sirius.Online» platform in the format of individual testing; registration and task completion are possible until 6:00 PM on November 15 Moscow time, and a computer with internet access will be required.

Stages leading up to the final

Those who pass the threshold score will advance to the regional stage (December 2026 — January 2027), where teams of two from the same age league, region, or country, with a registered mentor, will compete. The competitions will take place at venues of regional educational centers, «Quantoriums», technoparks and schools in Russia and partner countries: participants will face an individual theoretical round and team practical work in a virtual modeling environment. For the younger leagues, this stage will be the final one. The best teams of the «Engineer» and «Developer» leagues will advance to the semifinal in February–March 2027 with in-person tests at venues in federal districts and partner countries, including work with real equipment and a project assignment from an industrial partner. Only teams of the senior «Developer» league will reach the final in April–May 2027 at the «Sirius» venue: over four days, they will have to create a working engineering solution to an industrial partner's task and defend it before the jury. In the younger leagues and the «Engineer» league, winners will be determined by individual scores, while in the final of the «Developer» league — by team performance.

Preparatory events and context

For preparation, the organizers have planned additional events: until November 13, themed quizzes are being held in schools, and until November 20, students in grades 3–6 can take part in the creative contest «Smart Space». The olympiad expands the lineup of technological educational projects for schoolchildren: it was previously reported that more than 4,600 schoolchildren from 16 Russian cities have started studying artificial intelligence and cybersecurity for free, and over 15,000 students from 400 schools have joined the «CyberLesson» project, where children are taught to recognize fakes and protect themselves from online fraudsters.