Upper secondary students from Espoo find success in science competitions: medals and commendations

19.8.2026 5.52

A collage, in the image up left shows four young people: three people with medals and one with a diploma. The leftmost young person is holding the Finnish flag. The image up right show a student with a silver medal. The image at the bottom center there are seven people in a row. Three of them are holding the Finnish flag. They are also wearing medals on their necks. — Upper secondary students from Espoo succeed in summer science competitions. Photo: Edited by City of Espoo

Upper secondary students from Espoo received silver and bronze medals in this summer’s chemistry competitions. From the Biology Olympiad, upper secondary students achieved a bronze medal and an honourable mention. In the Mathematics Olympiad, they achieved an honourable mention. Earlier this spring, there was also success in international informatics competitions.

This year, the Nordic Chemistry Championships were held in Helsinki. The Chemistry Olympiad took place in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, from 10 to 19 July 2026. At the Olympiad, 363 young people from 95 countries competed, which was an all-time record.

Otaniemen lukio student Joonas Kuosa was awarded a silver medal in the Nordic competition. He also won the bronze medal at the Chemistry Olympiad. Kuninkaantien lukio student Atso Erkkilä took home the bronze medal from both competitions.

Both competitions included a five-hour practical examination and a five-hour theoretical examination.

International competitions award gold medals to the top 10%, silver medals to the top 20% and bronze medals to the top 30% of participants. In addition, the Olympiads award honorary mentions, which are given to every tenth competitor. Team Finland admits the best-performing youngsters in national chemistry competitions and training courses.

The Finnish delegation after the IChO awards ceremony. From left to right: Jukka Puumi, Nicolas Tallbacka, Atso Erkkilä, Michael Christodoulou, Joonas Kuosa, Juulia Talvitie and Kjell Knapas.

Finland achieves best result our of the Nordic countries at the Biology Olympiad

The Biology Olympiad was held from 12 to 19 July 2026 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Otaniemen lukio students Emma Murtomäki and Helka Heikkilä, along with Justus Heimonen from Mikkeli Upper Secondary School, took home bronze medals for Finland. In addition, the Otaniemen lukio student Feifei Li earned an honourable mention.

The tasks were challenging and the competition required the participants to push their skills to the limit. Naturally, the awards are a significant achievement, but the experiences and new global acquaintances were also what made the trip, according to the Olympic team.

The International Biology Olympiad in Lithuania was the 37th of its kind. Out of the Nordic countries, Finland performed the best in Lithuania. 78 countries and around 300 competitors took part in the competition. Each country is allowed four competitors at the Olympiad: the winners of the preliminary competitions held in each country. Therefore, every member of Team Finland won an award this year! Finland has been a participant since 1997. This year, the top positions were taken by China and the United States.

Finnish pride

The examinations of the Biology Olympiad include both a practical and theoretical part for all areas of the life sciences. There were four practical exams, in which the competitors had to identify species of flies and measure the breakdown of medicines in blood. In the theoretical exams, the candidates faced questions ranging from the biology of cancer cells to the behavioural ecology of electric eels.

The competition took place across two days. During the competition week, Team Finland also had free time, during which the youngsters got to learn about Lithuania.

"We can be proud of Team Finland. In addition to competition success, the Olympiad provides lifelong friends and contacts with other young people interested in the life sciences from around the world. Often, these interactions can be more valuable than any prize," says Niko Johansson from the University of Helsinki, who led the Team Finland.

Team Finland is selected on the basis of the National Biology Competition for upper secondary school students, as well as at the Olympic coaching organised by the University of Helsinki and Aalto University's Aalto Junior. In Finland, the association of biology and geography teachers, funded by the Finnish National Board of Education, took care of the practical arrangements of the competition. The next Biology Olympiad will take place in Poland in July 2027.

Otaniemen lukio general upper secondary school students Emma Murtomäki ja Helka Heikkilä and student Justus Heimonen from Mikkelin lukio and Otaniemen lukio's student Feifei Li at the Biology Olympiad awards ceremony. Photo: Niko Johansson

Honorable Mention at the Mathematics Olympiad – Success at the Girls' Olympiad as well

At the Mathematics Olympiad in Shanghai, China, on 10-21 July, 2026, Otaniemen lukio student Amelie Hao received an honorary mention. Amelie took home a silver medal at the this spring’s European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad.

Earlier this spring, in the Nordic Olympiad in Informatics (NOI), Otaniemi Upper Secondary School student Mikael Myllymäki was the third-best contestant and won a bronze medal.

At the Baltic Olympiad in Informatics (BOI), Mikael Myllymäki also won a bronze medal.

Amelie Hao and the silver medal from European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad

Further information on international competitions in the sciences:

The Chemistry Olympiad: http://www.icho-official.org/results/index.php(external link, opens in a new window)

This year’s Biology Olympiad: https://www.ibo2026.lt/(external link, opens in a new window) and the International Biology Olympiad:

https://www.ibo-info.org/en/(external link, opens in a new window)

The International Mathematics Olympiad: IMO 2026(external link, opens in a new window)