Minsk, 29 September. Federal territory “Sirius” in Sochi has been the hosting platform for the 4^th Open World Astronomy Olympiad (OWAO-2025). This large scale event went through 20-27 September and welcomed around 100 talented pupils from 19 countries. The Olympiad is more than a competition, it is a true science fest where young astronomers demonstrated their deep knowledge, analytical thinking and true passion for researches on our universe.

Contestants had to deal with four stages:

Theory – complex tasks on astrophysics and cosmology;

Practice – analyzing real astronomic data which has been recently studied by professionals.

Observance – Identification of celestial objects and events.

Express stage – quiz on the entire subject.

Team Belarus did really well!

Three gold medals:

- Yan Terekhov, student at Academician Y. M. Ostrovsky Lyceum No. 1 (Grodno)

- Timofey Kondratyev, student at Lyceum of the Belarusian-Russian University named after L. E. Manevich

- Aleksey Movsik, student at Minsk State Regional Lyceum

Two silver medals:

- Polina Sologub, student at Secondary School No. 8 (Slutsk)

- Semyon Rudenko, student at V. I. Pelenitsyn Secondary School No. 10 (Slonim)

Yan Terekhov's story is doubly impressive because astronomy is only taught in 11th grade and he began mastering the subject earlier and it really paid off!

The team's mentors were not rookies in their business:

Kazimir Znosko and Andrey Lavysh (Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno),

Olga Zharnova (Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno),

Stanislav Komarov and Alexander Spiridonov (BSU),

Anna Lebedevich (Y. M. Ostrovsky Lyceum No. 1, Grodno).

OWAO is the culmination of a months-long journey: from school stages to the national Olympiad and the international finals and our students passed it with flying colors!

Their success is not only a personal victory but also an important contribution to the development of astronomy education in Belarus. Such achievements inspire schoolchildren to look to the sky, ask questions, and seek answers among the stars.

Congratulations to our young astronomers and their mentors!

Your dedication, hard work, and love of science are the pride of Belarusian education and a shining example for future generations!