Russian Chemistry Olympiad

Всероссийская олимпиада школьников по химии

Overview

The All-Russian Olympiad for School Students in Chemistry (Всероссийская олимпиада школьников по химии) is Russia's national academic olympiad in chemistry, organized by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation in partnership with the Faculty of Chemistry at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). It is one of the largest chemistry olympiads in the world by participation numbers, with hundreds of thousands of students competing each year across multiple stages.

Key Website

• Ministry of Education – Olympiad portal
• IChO results database: Russia

Competition Format

The olympiad follows a multi-tier pyramid structure, progressing from school-level competitions to the national final.

• School stage

  • Held at individual schools across Russia
  • Over 550,000 students participate nationally in recent years

• Municipal stage

  • Top performers from the school stage advance
  • Tens of thousands of students compete at city and district level

• Regional stage

  • The strongest municipal-level students represent their regions
  • Several thousand students compete across Russia's federal subjects

• National final (Заключительный этап)

  • Typically 300–490 students compete
  • Includes both theoretical and practical (laboratory) components
  • Medals (gold, silver, bronze) and diplomas are awarded

IChO Selection

The top performers at the national final are invited to intensive training camps, from which the four-member Russian IChO team is selected. Training typically takes place at MSU and includes advanced theoretical instruction and laboratory practice.

Eligibility

Open to students in grades 9–11 of Russian secondary schools. Younger students may also participate in the school and municipal stages.

Student Outcomes

The Russian Chemistry Olympiad carries substantial academic benefits:

• National-level winners and prize-winners receive exam-free admission to chemistry, biology, pharmacy, and related programmes at Russia's top universities, including Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), Higher School of Economics (HSE), and Sechenov University
• Regional-level winners receive significant bonus points on university entrance examinations
• National-final medalists receive an annual scholarship of 20,000 rubles from the Russian government

IChO Performance

The combined results of the USSR and Russia at the IChO total 81 gold, 53 silver, and 27 bronze medals, and 1 honorable mention — one of the strongest records in IChO history. The Soviet Union was a founding participant of the IChO in 1968, and Russia has continued this tradition as one of the competition's most successful nations.

Russia hosted the IChO on three occasions: Moscow (1975, the 7th IChO), Moscow (1996, the 28th IChO), and St. Petersburg (2007, the 39th IChO).

History

• 1938: The Moscow City Chemistry Olympiad for school students was first held, making it one of the oldest subject olympiads in the Soviet Union.
• 1960s–70s: The all-Union chemistry olympiad was formalized and expanded across the Soviet republics.
• 1968: The USSR was a founding participant of the International Chemistry Olympiad.
• 1975: The Soviet Union hosted the 7th IChO in Moscow.
• 1992: Following the dissolution of the USSR, the competition was reorganized as the All-Russian Olympiad for School Students.
• 1996: Russia hosted the 28th IChO in Moscow.
• 2007: Russia hosted the 39th IChO in St. Petersburg.
• 2022–present: Russia has been suspended from IChO participation. Russian students have not competed at the international level since 2022. The national olympiad continues to operate in full.