Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On August 26, the application process for the 11th season of the National Technology Olympiad (NTO) began – the first and largest team engineering competition for schoolchildren and students in Russia. Students in grades 5–11, colleges and universities are invited to participate. Every year, the Olympiad brings together hundreds of thousands of young people, offering more than 40 relevant technology areas. Everyone can choose a profile based on their interests and try their hand at solving real problems.
In the 2025/2026 academic year, the competition will be held in three age categories: NTO Junior for schoolchildren in grades 5–7, the senior track for grades 8–11, and the student track. Registration for grades 5–7 is open until October 13, for grades 8–11 and students – until November 4 on the Olympiad website: my.ntcontest.ru/.
The NTO is held under the coordination of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education together with the presidential platform "Russia – the Country of Opportunities" within the framework of the national project "Youth and Children", with the support of the "Movement of the First", the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the ANO "NTI Platform". The project office of the Olympiad is deployed at the HSE with the methodological support of the NTI Circle Movement. The NTO Organizing Committee is headed by First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia Sergei Kiriyenko and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.
"Since 2015, the National Technology Olympiad has brought together almost 900 thousand schoolchildren and students from all over Russia, as well as from 77 other countries. The Olympiad, initially conceived as an all-Russian engineering competition, has gradually reached the international level. And we are confident that with the launch of the 11th season, the geography of participants will only expand, and their number will exceed a million. However, NTO is not only about scale. The main thing here is people. Young, bright, talented guys who do not just study science and technology, but are already creating the future today. This shows that the culture of scientific and technological thinking is growing stronger in our country. NTO has become a real magnet for those who want to grow, develop and change the world," Sergei Kiriyenko noted earlier at a meeting of the NTO organizing committee.
In the new NTO season, high school students have access to 35 technology profiles – from artificial intelligence, neurotechnology and information security to robotics, genome editing, underwater and space systems. The student track of the Olympiad includes six profiles – participants will have to solve problems in the field of biology and medicine, monitoring of territories, and develop solutions for the extraction of minerals.
"Every year, the National Technology Olympiad attracts an increasing number of interested, talented schoolchildren and students: last season alone, it collected one and a half times more applications than in 2023 – about 220 thousand. Today, the NTO is a strategic tool for training personnel, which is developing along with the challenges of the time. I am confident that thanks to continuous development and active cooperation with leading universities and technology companies, the Olympiad will continue to make its important contribution to the formation of a personnel reserve for achieving the national goals set by President Vladimir Putin," Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized.
He also reported that this season of the NTO, four new profiles are being launched for high school students. They reflect key trends in science and engineering: "Modeling in Biotechnology", "Structural Safety", "Flexible and Molecular Electronics", "Engineering Networks of Future Cities". During the competition, schoolchildren in grades 8–11 will have to design a space mission to monitor the Earth's electromagnetic field, create a VR simulator with realistic control mechanics, and develop an autonomous transport system for a smart city. Participants will also work on computer games, design satellites, and train neural networks. The team format of the Olympiad helps develop not only technical competencies, but also the ability to distribute roles, communicate, and find non-standard solutions in a short time.
"The Olympiad has long established itself as an effective, important tool that helps prepare future leaders in the field of science and technology. Thanks to this annual intellectual competition, schoolchildren can try themselves in the role of engineers or developers, and students can develop and consolidate professional competencies," said Deputy Co-Chairs of the NTO Organizing Committee, Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov.
Winners and prize winners of the NTO school track profiles included in the draft order of the Ministry of Education and Science will receive benefits when entering universities – up to 100 points in the Unified State Exam or enrollment without entrance examinations. Students who show high results can complete internships in research centers and companies – NTO partners, and also take advantage of benefits when entering master's programs at universities – organizers of the Olympiad profiles.
"Today, NTO is a unique ecosystem for developing engineering thinking and practical skills. Its participants learn to work in a team, solve non-standard problems and act under time constraints, and thus, comprehend everything that a modern specialist needs. Thanks to partnerships with leading companies and universities, NTO creates a foundation on which schoolchildren can begin to build a successful professional trajectory from middle school. I am confident that many of the Olympiad participants will become leaders in technological development and make a significant contribution to strengthening Russia's technological sovereignty," emphasized Nikita Anisimov, Deputy Co-Chairs of the NTO Organizing Committee and Rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
Since 2019, the NTO Junior track for schoolchildren in grades 5–7 has been held together with the presidential platform “Russia – the Land of Opportunities”. In the new season, junior competitions will cover seven areas: virtual reality, artificial intelligence, computer games, space, robots, habitat, and a new direction – cyber-physical systems. For middle school students, NTO is an opportunity to take their first steps into the world of modern technologies and project thinking.
"I congratulate all the participants, mentors and organizers on the beginning of the 11th season of the National Technology Olympiad. Every year, NTO is not just growing, but getting better and better: new profiles appear that meet the most pressing challenges of the time in the field of science and engineering. For hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, this is a unique opportunity to implement their bold ideas today and create projects that have real practical significance. The Olympiad lays the foundation for the future, clearly demonstrating that the ability to change the world for the better through technology has no age limits – you can start as early as the fifth grade. I am sure that our common future lies in such projects. And the presidential platform "Russia – Country of Opportunities" will continue to comprehensively support young talents on this path," said Andrey Betin, CEO of the presidential platform "Russia – Country of Opportunities", Rector of the Senezh Management Workshop.
The NTO Junior finals for students in grades 5–7 will be held in November 2025, and high school and university students will meet at the final competitions in February–April 2026 at the venues of the country's leading technological universities: HSE, ITMO University, RTU MIREA, MEPhI, Moscow Polytechnic University, FEFU, NSU, Tomsk Polytechnic University and others.
Let us recall that in the 10th season of the National Technology Olympiad, 220 thousand schoolchildren and students applied to participate, and the total coverage of the Olympiad since 2015 has exceeded 880 thousand participants from all regions of Russia and 77 foreign countries.
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