The annual industrial development Olympiad PROD is becoming international for the first time. English-speaking students in grades 8–12 from anywhere in the world are invited to take part. The format remains fully online, and the finalists will meet in Moscow — accommodation and meals during the event will be covered by the organizers, El.kz reports.
Previously aimed at Russian-speaking students, the Olympiad is now held in two languages — Russian and English. This opens the doors to participants who speak either language and are ready to try their hand at IT development. No deep programming experience is required: basic school-level computer science, logical thinking, and an interest in modern technologies are enough.
The international PROD Olympiad consists of several stages, each designed to assess skills essential for real-world development — from basic logic to working on an industrial-level project.
The first stage will take place on December 5–8 and includes an online test in mathematics and programming fundamentals.
Then, from January 15 to 25, 2026, participants will complete a practical case in one or more tracks: frontend, backend, mobile development, or MLOps engineering.
Not only the winners of the previous test will
advance to this stage, but also prize-winners of earlier PROD cycles, as well as hackathon participants, including those from the event in Almaty held in partnership with the Fiztex Science & IT School.
The final stage consists of two rounds.
From February 12 to 24, students will independently develop a small project based on the Olympiad’s assignment.
From March 13 to 17, teams will present and defend their solutions before experts — experienced engineers and mentors.
The final award ceremony will take place on March 18 in Moscow, where the best participants from around the world will gather.
In 2024, PROD brought together around four thousand students from Russia, Belarus, and 22 other countries, including the UK, Germany, Canada, China, France, and Peru. A total of 235 participants reached the finals in Moscow, 57 of whom became winners and awardees.