The PROD Software Engineering Olympiad Goes International

© HSE University

The world’s first annual software engineering olympiad for secondary school students—PROD—is expanding internationally. Schoolchildren in grades 8–11 from around the world are invited to participate. For the first time, the competition will be held in both Russian and English. The organisers of the International PROD Olympiad are Central University and T-Technologies Group, the parent company of T-Bank, in partnership with the HSE Faculty of Computer Science.

Software engineering involves the creation of software and technologies by large teams of professionals in IT companies. The PROD Olympiad is the first in the world to allow school students to tackle real business challenges set by leading tech firms. Participants learn about software systems and business process automation while developing their own applications and services to help organisations boost efficiency and reduce costs.

Registration is open until December 2, 2025, on the official website of the International Software Engineering Olympiad for School Students. Deep programming knowledge is not required—logical thinking and a basic understanding of computer science are sufficient.

The Olympiad Will Be Held in Several Stages

At every stage, participants will receive support from leading teachers and experts from Central University, T-Bank, and HSE University.

December 5–8, First Qualifying Round. A test on the fundamentals of mathematics and programming.

 January 15–25, Second Qualifying Round. A case study in one or more tracks: frontend, backend, mobile development, and a new track—MLOps engineering. This round is open to the winners and runners-up of this year’s first round, last year’s second round, and the winners of PROD hackathons. One such hackathon will be held on December 5–7 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with support from FIZTEX Science & IT School, a leading Central Asian private school.

 February 12–24, Individual Round of the Final Stage. Independent development of a small project based on the olympiad’s assignment.

 March 13–17, Team Round of the Final Stage. Team projects defended before a jury, under the guidance of experienced developer mentors.

 March 18—Award ceremony in Moscow.

Winners and Runners-Up Will Receive:

 Fast-track admission and a grant of up to 100% for studies at Central University.

 Discounts on the joint HSE University—Central University Bachelor’s Programme in Information Product Design and Development, as well as on other paid programmes of HSE’s Faculty of Computer Science.

 Simplified selection for an internship at T-Bank.

 Bonus points towards the Unified State Examination (USE) for admission to HSE’s Faculty of Computer Science.

 Russian Language & Cultural Linguistics Programme—free Russian language courses from HSE University for international participants (available after school graduation and upon reaching the age of 18).

 Branded PROD merchandise.

In 2024, the PROD Olympiad brought together more than 4,000 Russian-speaking secondary school students from Russia, Belarus, and 22 other countries—including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, China, and Peru. The final round in Moscow gathered 235 pupils from 49 Russian regions and Belarus, with 57 becoming winners and runners-up.

© HSE University

Over the two years of the Olympiad’s existence, more than 39 young programmers have become interns at T-Bank. Of these, 19 are currently interning, and nine have already joined the company as full-time employees. More than 120 participants of last year’s PROD Olympiad have become students of Central University, including 50 finalists and 20 winners and runners-up. In addition, 10 finalists have enrolled in the joint HSE University—Central University Bachelor’s Programme in Information Product Design and Development.

Finalists, winners, and runners-up of the PROD Olympiad undertake internships at the country’s leading big tech companies as frontend, backend, and mobile developers, among other roles. The skills they gained through the Olympiad help them tackle serious professional challenges—such as designing software architectures, building user interfaces and Learning Management Systems (LMSs) for Central University, developing core services, and improving or refactoring code.

Ivan Arzhantsev

‘The HSE Faculty of Computer Science is delighted to join the PROD Olympiad as a partner for the third time,’ said Ivan Arzhantsev, Dean of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science. ‘The winners who have entered our bachelor’s programmes are energetic, well-prepared, and capable students. They find that their experience in PROD helps them not only with programming courses but also with time management, goal-setting, and even building new friendships.

The international status of PROD is something we truly value. We offer English-taught programmes, promote academic mobility, and host international meetups. Together with T-Technologies Group and Central University, we look forward to bold ideas and bright solutions from school students around the world!’

Varvara Smirnova

‘For PROD participants, this is an opportunity to put themselves in the role of a developer for the first time and face real business challenges,’ said Varvara Smirnova, Director of T-Education. ‘Participants will be able to compete with school students from around the world, gain valuable knowledge and teamwork experience at major IT companies, become part of large product teams, and meet leading industry experts and a community of like-minded people. For T-Technologies Group and Central University, PROD is an investment in the development of IT professionals who will shape the technological future of our country.

We also hope that the Olympiad will gain global significance. This year, PROD is going beyond Russia to unite participants worldwide. It’s a big step for us and a unique opportunity for our school students—the experience of working and learning with people from different cultures is immensely valuable.’

Evgeny Ivashkevich

‘Our main goal is to train specialists who are truly in demand, equipped with both solid theoretical knowledge and practical skills,’ emphasised Evgeny Ivashkevich, Rector of Central University. ‘I am confident that the new international format of the Olympiad will help to shape a new generation of professionals who can think globally and work on challenges of international scale. From a project that sparks an initial interest in the profession and develops essential skills, the International PROD Olympiad is evolving into a platform for building broad professional networks and exchanging contemporary expertise.’