Uzbekistan High Schoolers Can Now Participate in the First International Software Engineering Olympiad PROD. PROD, an international olympiad focused on software engineering for high school students, is opening its doors to English-speaking participants in grades 8–12 from any country.

The olympiad familiarizes young people with large-scale software development - the kind of work typically carried out by major global IT companies. Participants will work with real business cases, look at examples of automation in modern organizations, and create their own digital solutions aimed at improving performance and optimizing routine processes. This format gives students a practical understanding of how the tech industry operates and how digital systems are designed to address real-world challenges.

For students in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, PROD offers an early opportunity to gain exposure to the IT sector even before entering university. The contest helps participants strengthen their technical and analytical skills, work in teams, and collaborate with peers from different countries.

All stages of the Olympiad, except the final one, are held online, making participation accessible regardless of location. Finalists will be invited to Moscow for the team stage, with accommodation and meals covered by the organizers. All stages of the Olympiad, except the final one, are held online, making participation accessible regardless of location. Finalists will be invited to Moscow for the team stage, with accommodation and meals covered by the organizers.

The Olympiad is organized by leading Russian educational and technological institutions:

● Central University, known for practice-oriented higher education;
● T-Technologies, a major fintech ecosystem and developer of widely used digital financial services;
● HSE University’s Faculty of Computer Science, one of the largest academic communities in the field.

Throughout the competition, students will work under the supervision of experienced IT specialists, including developers from T-Technologies. Mentors will help participants navigate the tasks and understand the principles behind building modern digital products.

Registration is open until 2 December on the official PROD website. Strong programming skills are not required; basic computer science knowledge and logical thinking are suffiсient to take part.

This year’s Olympiad marks the third edition of PROD — and the first time it is held internationally in both English and Russian. In 2024, the contest received over 10,000 applications, with more than 4,000 students selected. Participants came from 23 countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Canada, China, and Peru. The final round brought together 235 students from across Russia and Belarus, with 57 earning awards.

Competition stages for 2025:

● December 5–8 — first preliminary round (test in basic mathematics and programming).
● January 15–25 — second preliminary round (case-based assignment across several tracks: frontend, backend, mobile development, and the new MLOps engineering track).
● February 12–24 — individual stage of the final round (development of a small assigned project).
● March 13–17 — team stage of the final round (project presentation to the jury).
● March 18 — awards ceremony in Moscow.

Awards for winners and runners-up include:

● Free Russian language courses for international students aged 18+ (HSE University).
● Tuition-free enrollment at Central University or discounts for selected programs at HSE University.
● Priority consideration for internships at T-Technologies.
● Branded merchandise from the Olympiad.

Central University is an innovative Russian university where the STEM approach is integrated into higher education curricula. It is a practice-oriented university established in partnership with over 60 major Russian organizations. Ranked among the top 10 hardest Russian universities to get into, it is one of the best higher education institutions in the country. Central University led three national teams to victory at international contests, including the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) in 2024 and 2025 and the International Cybersecurity Olympiad (ICO) in 2025. The teams demonstrated a very high level of competence.

T-Technologies is building an ecosystem of financial and lifestyle services for individuals and businesses that can be accessed through mobile apps and digital services. At the core of the ecosystem is one of the world’s largest online banks with 53 million customers.