Overview
The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) is one of the five international science olympiads. Its main goal is to stimulate interest in informatics and information technology, and it brings together exceptionally talented young people from different countries. The IOI website records that IOI 2026 took place in Uzbekistan from 9 to 16 August 2026. The details below follow the regulations approved at IOI 2024.
Who can take part
A national delegation has a Delegation Leader, one to four contestants and, if there is more than one contestant, a Deputy Leader. A host may invite delegations with more or fewer than four contestants only with General Assembly approval.
A contestant must, for most of the period from 1 September to 31 December of the year before the IOI, have been enrolled in a school at secondary level or lower in the country they represent, and not in a degree programme at a tertiary institution with a half-time or greater load. Exceptions can be requested.
A contestant must not be older than twenty on 1 July of the year of the IOI.
Each contestant works independently at a desk with a computer.
Exam pattern
The competition takes place on two competition days, each directly preceded and followed by a non-competition day. The regulations leave the task format and working time to the contest rules set each year, so check the current host's rules.
Medals
Gold goes to the largest score such that at least one twelfth of contestants receive gold, silver to the score such that at least one quarter receive gold or silver, and bronze to the score such that at least half receive a medal. A contestant without a medal can receive an honourable mention for scoring in the better half on at least one of the two days.
Other activities
The IOI community publishes an annual journal, Olympiads in Informatics, with papers on education, contests and algorithms.
How to take part
Students enter through their national informatics olympiad, which selects the national team. Contact your national organiser for the selection rounds.
Preparation tips
Learn core algorithms and data structures and practise implementing them without errors.
Practise past IOI tasks, with attention to time and memory limits.
Note
Contest rules change each year. Confirm the current rules on the official IOI website.