Szeged student among Hungarian delegation heading to International Astronomy Olympiad in Mumbai
A Szeged high school student is among five Hungarian teens selected to represent the country at the 18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), set to take place in Mumbai, India, next month.
The team was chosen following a months-long training and selection process organized through the Athletica Galactica competition series. The final stage concluded in July with a week-long training camp in Jászberény, where students competed in a four-part exam covering theoretical knowledge, data analysis, planetarium tasks and observational astronomy.
Dorottya Elekes of Budapest-Fasori Lutheran Secondary School earned first place in the overall rankings. Panni Elekes, also from the same school, placed second, and Bálint Dobák of Budapest’s Fazekas Mihály High School placed third. They will be joined by Gellért Zádori of Radnóti Miklós Experimental High School in Szeged and Eszter Bianka Bartucz of Budapest’s Eötvös József High School.
The 10-day international competition, scheduled for Aug. 11–21, will bring together top students from around the world to test their skills in astrophysics, astronomy, and practical observation.
Team members were selected based on performance in weekly assignments, mini-olympiads, and their final camp scores, according to the HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (CSFK), which oversees the Hungarian delegation.
Hungary has a strong track record at the IOAA and related competitions. Organizers noted that all Hungarian participants at the most recent mini-olympiad in Slovenia earned medals.
This year’s national team is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, CSFK, the HUN-REN Konkoly Thege Miklós Astronomical Institute, the University of Szeged, and the ELTE Gothard Astrophysical Observatory.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
Featured image: The Hungarian student team representing the country at the 2025 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. Photo via Athletica Galactica on Facebook.
