Ukrainian Chemistry Olympiad¶

Всеукраїнська олімпіада з хімії

Key Websites¶

Overview¶

Key Facts

Organizer: Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
Operations: Institute of Modernization of Education (IMZO)
Support: Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (MAN)
Structure: Four-tier pyramid (School → District → Regional → National)
Founded: ~1967 (Soviet era, 57+ editions)
IChO since: 1994 (independent Ukraine debut)

The All-Ukrainian Student Chemistry Olympiad (Всеукраїнська учнівська олімпіада з хімії) is Ukraine's national chemistry competition for secondary-school students. It is organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (Міністерство освіти і науки України), with operational management handled by the Institute of Modernization of Education (Інститут модернізації змісту освіти, IMZO). Regional and school-level rounds are administered in cooperation with the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Мала академія наук, MAN).

Competition Format¶

The olympiad follows a four-tier pyramid structure.

School Round
- Held at individual schools in October–November
- Open to all students in grades 8–11
- Tens of thousands of students participate nationwide
District/City round
- Held in December–January
- Top 10–25% of students from each school advance
Regional/Oblast round
- Held in January–March across Ukraine's 24 oblasts and Kyiv
- Approximately 150–200 students compete at a typical regional round
National final
- Held in March–April at a host university
- Typically 120–150 students compete
- Includes both theoretical and practical components over 4–5 days
- Awards in three tiers: I degree (~8 students), II degree (~22 students), and III degree (~32 students)

Top performers from the national final are invited to specialized training camps, from which the 4-member Ukrainian IChO team is selected.

Winner Privileges¶

First-place (I degree) winners of the national final receive priority enrollment at Ukrainian universities in chemistry-related and natural-science programmes, bypassing regular competitive admissions through the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT).

Olympiad success also strengthens applications for scholarships and admission to specialized lyceums.

Strong Regions¶

Based on recent national final results, the strongest regions for chemistry olympiad performance are:

Kyiv City
Lviv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast

History¶

~1967: The All-Ukrainian Chemistry Olympiad was first held during the Soviet era as a Ukrainian SSR competition, now in its 57th+ edition.
1994: Ukraine first participated in the IChO as an independent nation at the 26th IChO in Oslo, winning 1 gold and 3 bronze medals in its debut.
2020: Ukraine was absent from the IChO (the only gap in its independent participation history).
2021–present: Ukraine has resumed uninterrupted IChO participation, continuing to perform strongly.

IChO Medal Record

21 Gold · 62 Silver · 42 Bronze · 1 Honorable Mention

Ukraine is one of the stronger IChO nations, consistently earning medals at every competition attended. The best single-year result came at the 46th IChO (2014, Hanoi), where the team won 2 gold + 2 silver and Roman Didenko placed 2nd worldwide.

Soviet Era (~1967–1991)¶

The All-Ukrainian Chemistry Olympiad traces its origins to approximately 1967, when it was first held as a Ukrainian SSR competition within the Soviet olympiad system. During this period, the Ukrainian republican olympiad served as a qualifying stage for the All-Union Chemistry Olympiad (Всесоюзная химическая олимпиада), which in turn selected the USSR's IChO team.

Independent Ukraine (1994–present)¶

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine established its own independent olympiad programme. The country made its IChO debut as an independent nation in 1994 at the 26th IChO in Oslo, Norway, winning 1 gold and 3 bronze medals.

Impact of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict¶

The war beginning in 2022 has profoundly affected the Ukrainian olympiad system, yet the competition has shown remarkable resilience.

The 2024 national final was held in-person in Chernivtsi (western Ukraine, relatively safe from missile strikes), demonstrating the organizers' commitment to maintaining traditional olympiad formats despite wartime conditions.
2026 training camps were held in Sumy, close to the Russian border, signaling a deliberate return to front-line regions.
Despite the conflict, the 2025 national final drew 157 participants from all 24 oblasts and Kyiv, including students from active conflict zones such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
Ukraine's IChO participation has remained uninterrupted since 2021. At the 2025 IChO, the team won 2 gold + 2 silver — one of its strongest recent results.
In 2024, Ukraine received a guest invitation to the Baltic Chemistry Olympiad, providing an alternative international platform while the Mendeleev Olympiad (hosted in Russia) became inaccessible.
The war has also disrupted traditional sponsorship: OSTCHEM (a major Ukrainian chemical industry holding) had been a long-time sponsor, but its operations have been severely affected. The KSE Foundation and international donors have stepped in to support training camps and travel costs.

Past Exams Archive¶

Note

All 4-grades (8/9/10/11) exam papers are included in the same booklet.

Year	Question Booklet	Solution Booklet	Remark
2026	Link	Link
2025	Link	Link
2024	Link	Link
2023	Link	Link
2019	Link	Link
2018	Link	Link
2017	Link	Link
2016	Link	Link
2015	Link	Link
2014	Link	Link
2013	Link	Link
2012	Link	Link
2011	Link	Link
2010	Link	Link	Grade11 EN
2009	Link	Link	Grade11 EN
2008	Link	Link
2005			Grade11 EN
2003			Grade11 EN
2002			Grade11 EN
1999			All-grades EN

Remote Olympiad During the Pandemic¶

Note

A Series of remote sessions were held during the pandemic.

Edition	Year	Question	Solution
06	2024	Link	Link
05	2024	Link	Link
04	2023	Link	Link
02	2021	Round1 Round2	Round1 Round2