President Lula Attends the OBMEP Gold Medal Ceremony

OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Mathematics Olympiad) will hold the National Awards Ceremony for its 20th edition this Monday (22) at 6 p.m. in Rio de Janeiro. The event will bring together the 684 gold medalists from the 2025 Games at a celebration marking two decades of the country’s largest science Olympiad.

The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attends the ceremony alongside the Minister of Education, Leonardo Barchini, and the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Luciana Santos, and other officials. The ceremony honors the top-ranking students in the knowledge competition and celebrates OBMEP’s impact on Brazilian education over the past 20 years.

Organized by IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics), with funding from the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI), OBMEP brings together more than 18.3 million students annually—from 6th grade through 12th grade—and reaches 99.9% of Brazilian municipalities.

For Marcelo Viana, director-general of IMPA, the ceremony symbolizes OBMEP’s impact on Brazilian education. “Over the past two decades, we have seen young people from every region of the country discover their potential, broaden their horizons, and seize opportunities that might once have seemed out of reach. The national ceremony brings many of these stories together in one place.”

Alexandre de Abreu Amaral, an 18-year-old from São Borja (RS), will attend the ceremony to receive his fourth gold medal at OBMEP. It was his performance in the Olympiad that opened the door for him to attend IMPA Tech, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Technology, and Innovation in Rio de Janeiro.

“OBMEP has been very important in my academic life. I started studying when I was 13, during the pandemic, and realized that I really liked math. Since then, I’ve had experiences like the National Ceremony, the Hilbert Hotel Meeting, the research initiation programs, and the people I met in those places.”

While Alexandre is already a veteran, Maria Eduarda Nunes da Costa will be making her debut at the National Awards Ceremony. Also a student at IMPA Tech, she will receive OBMEP’s first gold medal. “The impact OBMEP has had on my academic life has been so great that, at times, it doesn’t even seem real. It was such that I was able to envision an academic future extremely rich in knowledge, something I never imagined I would have in my life on such a scale. OBMEP brought me to IMPA Tech; I would say that is the greatest achievement I have ever attained.”

Coming from all 26 states and the Federal District, the medalists arrive in Rio de Janeiro as part of delegations coordinated by OBMEP. The Olympiad covers airfare for public school students and provides accommodation for participants during the event.

The commemorative program will feature three days of activities, including lectures, games, social events, and the traditional welcome dinner and medalists’ party. The highlight is the medal ceremony. Divided into delegations, they take the stage to receive the long-awaited honor.

“Twenty years ago, OBMEP was a gamble. Today, it is the world’s largest science competition, recognizing talent in every corner of the country. The 684 gold medalists, selected from among more than 18 million students, have much to celebrate, and they deserve to celebrate this achievement,” said IMPA Deputy Director and Olympics Manager Jorge Vitório Pereira.

Another highlight of the ceremony is the presentation of the Olympic Girls Trophy for the top-performing girls in each of the three levels. The recognition is part of IMPA’s efforts to encourage more women to pursue careers in the sciences.

OBMEP: A Giant in Numbers and Social Impact

OBMEP brings together more than 18.3 million students from 6th grade through 12th grade in 99.9% of Brazilian municipalities. More than just recognition for performance on the exams, OBMEP medals can open doors to new academic opportunities. Many of the winners go on to join the PIC (Junior Scientific Initiation Program), which offers advanced math classes and a R$300 scientific initiation scholarship awarded by CNPq to public school students.

Over the past two decades, the competition has also helped connect young talent with universities and centers of excellence. Today, many higher education institutions consider performance in science Olympiads as part of their admissions processes, and many former OBMEP medalists pursue careers in fields such as science, technology, engineering, education, and research.

The National Awards Ceremony celebrates the highlights of the 2025 edition, as well as the legacy built by OBMEP over the past 20 years: a network that connects students, teachers, and schools across Brazil.

Organized by IMPA, OBMEP is funded by the Ministry of Education (MEC) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI). The Olympiad is a national program aimed at Brazilian public and private schools. Among its objectives are to encourage the study of mathematics, identify talent in the field, and encourage students to pursue university studies in science and technology.