Registration Opens in Russia for 12th Season of National Technology Olympiad

© HSE University

Registration has opened for the new season of the National Technology Olympiad (NTO), Russia’s largest team-based engineering competition. Applications are open to students in Years 5–11, as well as college and university students. Every year, the olympiad brings together hundreds of thousands of young people from across Russia and a number of other countries, offering them the opportunity to explore cutting-edge engineering fields. Every NTO participant can choose profiles that match their interests and try their hand at solving real-world problems.

The NTO is held under the coordination of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education in cooperation with the Russia—Land of Opportunity presidential platform as part of the Youth and Children national project, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education, the Movement of the First, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, and the NTI Platform autonomous non-profit organisation. The olympiad’s project office is based at HSE University, with methodological support provided by the NTI Сlub Movement. The NTO Organising Committee is headed by Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, and Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

Dmitry Chernyshenko

‘The 12th season of the National Technology Olympiad is opening as part of the Youth and Children national project. This is not simply the start of a competition, but evidence that engineering and science are in demand among young people. Over the previous 11 seasons, more than 1.1 million people from all regions of Russia and 77 foreign countries have taken part in the olympiad. As Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, “great discoveries are born of enthusiasm and the tireless pursuit of new knowledge.” The interest shown by school and university students taking part in the olympiad is clear evidence that the younger generation has solid knowledge and the motivation to tackle real-world engineering challenges. This means that we will continue to have talented people to rely on for technological development,’ Dmitry Chernyshenko stressed.

In the 2026/27 academic year, the competition will be held in the following age categories: NTO Juniors for students in Years 5–7; the senior track for students in Years 8–11 and first- and second-year students at vocational colleges; and the university track for university students and students in the senior years of vocational colleges. Registration is open until October 22 for the senior track, November 9 for the junior track, and December 13 for the university track. Applications can be submitted here (in Russian).

The junior track will feature seven categories: agrotechnology, game technology, AI technology, cybertechnology, space technology, medical technology, and robotics. The aim of NTO Juniors is to help every school student take their first step into the world of modern technology and develop an interest in exploring these fields.

In the 2026/27 academic year, secondary school students will be able to choose from 34 NTO profiles, including five new ones: Agroecological Monitoring, Data Analysis and Decision-Making, Rehabilitation Engineering, Chemical Power Sources, and Chemical Process Technologies. As part of the olympiad, participants will build satellites and planetary rovers, underwater robots, VR simulators, and computer games, train artificial intelligence systems, prevent cyberattacks, develop smart prostheses and flexible electronics, edit genomes, and synthesise new materials. Students will also create digital twins of factories and energy systems, analyse satellite images of the Earth, design the cities of the future, and develop technologies for use in medicine, industry, energy, and environmental protection.

Valery Falkov

‘Every year, leading universities across our country take part in organising the National Technology Olympiad. In the new season, three new partners have joined the NTO organisers: Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Surgut State University, and the Novosibirsk State Agrarian University (NSAU). Expanding the network of participating universities will give the most talented students and school students even more opportunities to engage with real-world engineering challenges,’ said Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia and deputy co-chair of the NTO Organising Committee.

One of the new features of the NTO’s 12th season will be expanded opportunities for students enrolled in secondary vocational education programmes after completing Year 9. For the first time, first- and second-year vocational college students will be able to participate in the senior track alongside students in Years 8–11.

Sergey Kravtsov

‘An engineering environment begins to take shape at school through the establishment of specialised classes and career guidance. Today, the ability to use artificial intelligence and innovative equipment effectively is becoming an important factor in technological development. The National Technology Olympiad serves as a link between the educational curriculum and the real economy. It is a platform where students at schools, colleges, and vocational schools tackle real engineering challenges and gain experience of working in teams. Winning gives school students additional advantages—100 points in the Unified State Examination (USE) or admission to universities without entrance examinations—while students can benefit when applying for master’s programmes or gain the opportunity to undertake internships at leading technology companies. This is what systematic training of future specialists looks like—from the school classroom to professional self-determination, and from university study to their first job,’ said Sergey Kravtsov, Minister of Education of Russia.

Participants in the NTO university track will choose from five profiles. The tasks in the university track include developing nuclear and quantum technologies, ensuring cybersecurity, designing unmanned transport systems, and carrying out genome editing.

Winners and prize-winners of NTO senior-track profiles included in the Russian Council of School Olympiads list may receive university admission benefits, including 100 Unified State Examination points, admission without entrance examinations, and other advantages. NTO university-track winners may receive invitations to internships at research centres and companies that partner with the olympiad, as well as admission benefits when applying to master’s programmes at universities organising the profiles.

Nikita Anisimov

‘By competing in the NTO, school and university students develop not only their professional skills, but also the personal qualities they need to succeed in the modern world. Participants learn to work effectively as a team, allocate roles, justify their decisions, take responsibility for results, and find unconventional approaches to challenging tasks. This experience develops the transferable skills of future specialists—the ability to work in conditions of uncertainty, adapt quickly, and create solutions together with others,’ stressed Nikita Anisimov, President of HSE University and deputy co-chair of the NTO Organising Committee.

The finals of the junior track for students in Years 5–7 will take place in December 2026. School and university students will compete in the final stage from February to April 2027 at leading technology universities across the country, including HSE University, ITMO University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, MIREA—Russian Technological University, Moscow Polytechnic University, Novosibirsk State University, Far Eastern Federal University, and others.

Andrey Betin

‘Congratulations to the entire NTO community on the start of its 12th season! One of the olympiad’s key principles is to create opportunities for young people to realise their talents at every stage: helping school students explore technology, discover their interests, and take their first steps towards a future career from an early age. The presidential platform will continue to support talented young people and create opportunities for their professional development,’ said Andrei Betin, CEO of the Russia—Land of Opportunity presidential platform and Rector of the Senezh Management Workshop.

For 11 years, the National Technology Olympiad has supported talented school and university students, helping them find their path in research and development. Over this period, more than 1.1 million people from all regions of Russia and 77 foreign countries have taken part in the competition. In the 11th season, 226,000 people from all regions of Russia and a number of other countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Turkmenistan, applied to participate. More than 1,800 school and university students became winners and prize-winners in the 2025/2026 academic year.