Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis Olympiad from Yandex Education and the HSE University Faculty of Computer Science

About the Competition

The ENG RU AIDAO Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis Olympiad is organized by Yandex Education and the HSE University Faculty of Computer Science. It is a competition for university students who excel in data analysis and artificial intelligence, offering the chance to win up to ₽1,000,000.

What to Expect

• Work with real-world data and tackle challenges using large datasets from leading labs and platforms with access to professional-grade computing resources.
• The online stage was developed by experts from HSE University's Faculty of Computer Science, and the offline stage by Yandex specialists.
• Learn and network with experts through lectures from HSE University professors and practitioners from Yandex, engage with authors on problem-solving, and ask your questions during webinars.
• Meet AI professionals and showcase your talent, connect with people who share your passion, and share your experience to launch new projects with fellow students.
• Grand finale in Moscow: those who pass the online stage will advance to a 32-hour offline stage, connect with experts face to face, and get some cool merch.

Awards and Opportunities

• Winners will receive cash prizes.
• Participants from the top 10 teams in the offline stage will receive admission advantages when applying to master's programs at the HSE University Faculty of Computer Science.
• All participants will receive certificates of participation.
• Launchpad for your career: prove yourself in one of the leading AI competitions — it's a great way to kickstart your career in major IT companies and research hubs in Russia.

Prize Fund

Total prize fund: ₽2,650,000

• 1st place: ₽1,000,000
• 2nd place: ₽750,000
• 3rd place: ₽500,000
• 4th place: ₽250,000
• 5th place: ₽150,000

Eligibility

The competition is open to students over 18 enrolled in bachelor's, master's, or PhD programs at Russian or international universities who have a strong background in ML and modern neural network architectures. This is a team-only competition, with teams of two or three members. Don't have a team? We'll help you find one! The competition is in English, and you're welcome to use translation tools.

Required Skills and Knowledge

• Mathematical statistics and probability theory
• Python programming
• Data handling: collection, cleaning, and visualization
• Theory of algorithms and data structures
• Machine learning algorithms
• Deep learning frameworks

Sample Challenges from 2024

Online Stage: Develop an ML model to determine if two MRI time series belong to the same person. Then, build a pipeline to classify the subject's resting state (eyes open vs eyes closed).

Offline Stage: Build a model to assess vehicle damage and determine whether it's safe to drive.

Competition Stages

• Registration: Open until 10:00 AM (UTC+3) on September 30, 2025. You'll receive an email with a link to the challenges at the address you provide during registration.
• Online stage: From 10:00 AM (UTC+3) on October 2 to 10:00 AM (UTC+3) on October 15, 2025. Teams of two or three people will solve challenges on the Yandex Contest platform. Results will be published on the website and sent to your email.
• Selection of finalists: October 17, 2025. We will publish the top 30 teams who achieved the highest scores on the challenges. These teams will be invited to the offline stage in Moscow.
• Offline stage: November 28–30, 2025. Teams of two or three people will solve challenges on the Yandex Contest platform. Results will be published on the website and sent to your email.
• Awards ceremony

Previous Winners

Online Stage Winners

1. AI Capybara — Daria Ledneva, Timur Ionov
2. misiskovo — Daniil Okunev, Matvei Skripkin, Aleksandr Iugai
3. Doki Doki Development Club — Dmitrii Bondarev, Danil Alekseev
4. JULEBINO TEAM — Aleksei Sokolanov, Amin Esherov, Ilia Belianinov
5. Law of Large Bananas — Eduard Ganzha, Dmitrii Sharonov
6. Хихи-квадрат — Khakim Khamitov, Ilia Mikhailovskii, Igor Shabarov
7. VGT104 — Aleksei Belavin, Konstantin Pchelin, Ilia Prokofev
8. DRUJBA — Aleksandr Oleinikov, Maksim Trufanov, Matvei Savchenkov
9. ninjas MIREA — Konstantin Nakhamkin, Mikhail Kashirin, Artem Antonov
10. молотый булгур — Boris Molonov, Timofei Bulgakov, Platon Gulynin

Offline Stage Winners

1. ninjas MIREA — Artem Antonov, Каширин Михаил, Konstantin Nakhamkin
2. Olympic torch — Evgenii Orlov, Andrey Khnykin, Eva Shelmanova
3. VGT104 — Alex Belavin, Konstantin Pchelin, Ilya Prokofev
4. Хихи-квадрат — Igor Shabarov, Khakim Khamitov, Ilya Mikhailovskiy
5. ZZZZZZ — Vladimir Popov, Ekaterina Syrykh
6. Law of Large Bananas — Bulat Alimbekov, Eduard Ganzha, Dmitry Sharonov
7. Макаки в атаке — Fedor Grigoryev, Anton Pembek
8. Бабкин градиент — Михаил Болев, Лев Семин, Timur Zykov
9. молотый булгур — Boris Molonov, Bulgakov Timofey, Platon Gulynin
10. team-team — Mariia Fedorova, lev ryskin, Kirill Afendulev

FAQ

• Who can participate in the competition? Students over 18 enrolled in bachelor's, master's, or PhD programs at Russian or international universities in teams of two or three people.
• Is participation free? Yes, participation is completely free.
• How do I apply? You need to register before September 30, 2025.
• Are all applicants admitted to the online stage? Yes, we welcome everyone who applies and meets the eligibility criteria: students over 18 enrolled in bachelor's, master's, or PhD programs at Russian or international universities.
• How many people will get to participate in the offline stage in Moscow? We will select the top 30 teams based on their performance in the online stage.
• What if I can't make it to the offline stage? Unfortunately, the offline stage requires in-person attendance. If a team declines the invitation, their spot may be offered to another team on the list.
• Are travel and accommodation covered for the offline stage? We will provide accommodation, meals, and a gift bag with official Olympiad merch for every participant. You'll need to purchase your own tickets.
• What are the awards? Winners may receive bonus points for their portfolio or will be given the opportunity to enroll in master's programs at the HSE University Faculty of Computer Science without entrance exams. Universities typically announce admission benefits for each program in autumn. Be sure to check the university websites for updates.

Still Have Questions?

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