Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
From February 28 to March 1, the DANO National Data Analysis Olympiad hackathon took place at Novosibirsk State University. The HSE and T-Bank co-hosted the Olympiad. It was the first time it was held at NSU and was part of the final round of the 33rd International Schoolchildren's Economic Festival "Sibiriada. Step into a Dream."
Siberiada, held since 1994, is the oldest economics Olympiad in Russia and the only one of its kind beyond the Urals. In 2026, the festival was held in the Novosibirsk Region from February 27 to March 2, attracting over 550 students in grades 7-11. Its main goal is to create conditions for identifying gifted students, their intellectual development, and career guidance in economics education.
Since 2009, the festival's Economics Olympiad has been included in the list of all-Russian Olympiads for schoolchildren. Winners and runners-up receive preferential admission to universities, and NSU's Faculty of Economics (FE) can be enrolled without entrance examinations. NSU is a co-organizer of the festival and is responsible for the development, implementation, and review of the Economics Olympiad. The methodology committee and jury are primarily comprised of NSU Faculty of Economics faculty.
As noted by the organizer of the DANO hackathon, Associate Professor of the Department of Management Faculty of Economics NSU's Elena Limanova, who participated in the competition, said schoolchildren could try their hand at being data analysts.
"The Olympiad gives participants the opportunity to create their own research using big data. Why is data analysis so important today? Firstly, the world around us is changing rapidly and often unpredictably, so making important decisions based on past experience and knowledge can be quite risky. Secondly, we are surrounded by data today—where we are, how the weather is changing, how many times and when the classroom door was opened today, and so on ad infinitum. This data reflects what is happening now. And understanding what is happening and why is becoming crucial for making decisions that will work in a constantly changing world. When we talk about decision-making, we are primarily talking about management decisions that must be made in business and economic relations. In management, they talk about a revolution in data-driven management—management based on data, as opposed to, for example, the HiPPO (Highest Paid Person's Opinion) approach, where decisions are made by the most authoritative leader. This is changing both management and the professional world, bringing data analysts into the arena," she noted.
This year, about a hundred schoolchildren attended the hackathon, working with datasets and solving research problems.
Tatyana Bogomolova, Dean of the Faculty of Economics at NSU, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech:
"You're not in a random location for this event. Akademgorodok is where science truly lives."
The dean also recalled the university's scientific traditions and the contribution of Nobel laureate Leonid Kantorovich, who was at the forefront of the creation of the NSU Faculty of Economics.
For two days, the students worked with real data. Andrey Kostin, Head of the NSU Department of Economic Informatics, explained the assignment to the participants. The teams were tasked with analyzing a Novosibirsk housing market database and determining which factors most influence the price per square meter of an apartment.
Participants were provided with a database of over 13,000 apartments in Novosibirsk for 2021. The students analyzed parameters such as city district, property type, area, number of rooms, number of floors, building material, year of construction, presence of gas and heating, and other characteristics. However, the data required additional processing: some values were incomplete, and some parameters contained errors.
The hackathon concluded with the defense of team solutions. Participants presented their analysis results to the jury and answered questions. For many students, this was their first experience working with big data and solving analytical problems as a team.
Hackathon participant Alexey Shemetov said he became interested in data analysis about six months ago and decided to try his hand at the team competition.
"The most challenging part for the team was assigning roles. We didn't have a strong programmer, so we had difficulties with the mathematical model," a participant noted.
However, it was the teamwork and intensive format that became the most interesting for him.
"Because the final day of the hackathon was where we did the most work. And the teamwork itself was also very engaging," added Alexey Shemetov.
The hackathon became part of the larger educational space "Sibiriada," where schoolchildren not only compete but also learn about modern trends in economics and data analytics. Such events help participants better understand how analytical methods work in real-world business and economic problems.
Material prepared by: Ekaterina Mukovozchik, NSU press service
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.