At the computer science competition held in Magdeburg, Germany, students from the Central European region and guest countries tested their knowledge. Around fifty students participated, and among the members of the Hungarian student delegation, two returned with silver medals. Hungarian secondary school students who competed in the CEOI will also challenge themselves in a few days at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), a global competition held this year in Szeged.

Germany hosted the Central European Olympiad in Informatics (CEOI) this year, as it has done annually since 1994. The competition for students from the Central European region and invited guest countries took place between 13 and 19 August in Magdeburg. During the CEOI, participating students

demonstrated their advanced algorithmic thinking

by solving tasks over two competition days. In 2023, Hungary was joined by Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, as well as three guest countries: Israel, Switzerland, and Ukraine. The host country fielded a second team from Saxony-Anhalt.

Based on the results of CEOI 2023, István Ádám Molnár from the Földes Ferenc Secondary School in Miskolc and Bernát Tarján from the Veres Péter Secondary School both earned silver medals. In the international competition, Hungary performed well and secured a place in the middle ranks. Pál Czanik from the Fazekas Mihály Secondary School in Budapest and Máté Fülöp from the Veres Péter Secondary School represented the country with merit.

The leader of the Hungarian delegation was Vice President for Talent Development of the John von Neumann Computer Society Dr Ágnes Németh-Erdős, and her deputy was Imre Bende, a tutor at Eötvös Loránd University’s Faculty of Informatics. The students were prepared for the competition through the John von Neumann Computer Society’s talent development programme in close cooperation with the Faculty of Informatics of ELTE University, with the support of the National Talent Programme.

‘The CEOI serves as a preparation competition for the International Olympiad in Informatics, traditionally providing a challenge for young competitors who will participate in the next year tournament as well. The results are promising for the IOI starting on the 28th, where the same students will compete as members of the Hungarian eight-person student delegation,’ commented Dr Németh-Erdős. Having already proven their capabilities last year, all four student Olympians will also take part at the global competition this year.

The pinnacle of the student Olympiad season will be the IOI again this year, taking place from 28 August to 4 September, this time in Szeged, Hungary. All four student Olympians who proved themselves at the current CEOI will participate in this global competition.

In 2023, the #neumann120 memorial year is also taking place,

and for this occasion, the John von Neumann Computer Society has launched a dedicated website. On this site, one can find all the important information about events related to the 2023 memorial year. Under the ‘Kaleidoscope’ section, one can browse visual memories from the life of János Neumann.

The John von Neumann Computer Society is the oldest and most significant Hungarian IT organisation, established in 1968. Since its founding, it has played a prominent role in creating digital equal opportunities. Among its activities, it highlights IT talent development, organising the Nemes Tihamér Competitions and the National Graphics Programming Competition for decades, as well as preparing teams for student Olympiads (IOI, CEOI, EGOI, eJOI, IIOT). It introduced and operates the internationally recognised ECDL/ICDL examination system. It is the founder and maintainer of the Informatics Historical Museum in the Szent-Györgyi Albert Agora in Szeged. The Society’s goal is to act as the digital world’s GPS, aiding navigation in the world of the information society.

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