More than 500 students gathered in London as the UK hosted one of the world’s leading international STEM competitions.
More than 500 students from over 50 countries gathered in London this June for the 2026 International Greenwich Olympiad (IGO), one of the world’s leading project-based STEM competitions for young people. Hosted by North London Grammar School, the Olympiad brought together participants aged 10 to 19 to present innovative solutions addressing global challenges across science, engineering, artificial intelligence and sustainability.
Supported by Queen Mary University of London, which hosted the project presentations, and King’s College London, where the awards ceremony took place, the Olympiad welcomed participants from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. Every project was aligned with one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reflecting the competition’s focus on applying science and technology to real-world challenges.
Founded to encourage collaboration alongside competition, the International Greenwich Olympiad provides young innovators with an international platform to test ideas, exchange knowledge and develop solutions with real-world impact while receiving feedback from leading academics, researchers and industry professionals.
Fatih Adak, Headteacher of North London Grammar School, said: “The International Greenwich Olympiad is more than a competition. It is a platform where young innovators collaborate, tackle global challenges and develop ideas that have the potential to shape a better future. Seeing students from every continent come together with such creativity and determination demonstrates exactly why international collaboration in STEM matters.”
Among this year’s winners was Roshan Aitham Karoobi, a 13-year-old student from Light Academy Secondary School in Entebbe, Uganda, who received the overall Gold Medal in the STEM Lesson Presentation category for his project, Physics in Action: How a Fruit-Picking Robot Uses Newton’s Laws of Motion. Uganda also secured two additional international awards for engineering projects.
Projects were assessed by an international panel of judges drawn from universities and industry, evaluating entries across criteria including innovation, technical merit, feasibility, sustainability and societal impact.
Tosin Joseph, an AI judge at the Olympiad, said: “The strongest teams weren’t necessarily those with the most advanced technology. They were the teams that had already considered how their solutions could be deployed responsibly, where the risks might emerge and how those risks could be mitigated. Innovation without responsibility is incomplete.
“As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, the future will depend not only on technological breakthroughs but also on developing innovators who understand the ethical and societal implications of their work. Competitions like the International Greenwich Olympiad help nurture that mindset while positioning the UK as a destination where emerging global talent can be challenged against world-class standards.”
Denisa Van Ruymbeke, President of MILSET Europe, praised the calibre of this year’s participants, describing the event as “an incredible celebration of science and creativity” and congratulating students for taking “the first step towards their future.”
As international collaboration becomes increasingly important in addressing global challenges, organisers believe the International Greenwich Olympiad is playing a growing role in developing the next generation of scientists, engineers and technology leaders by providing young people with an international platform to transform ideas into practical solutions.
