Armenian Students Win Four Medals at International Astronomy Olympiad in Vietnam

Armenian students returned from one of the world’s leading astronomy competitions with four medals, winning one silver and three bronze at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The competition, held from Sept. 25 to Oct. 5, brought together 320 students from 64 countries. National delegations were limited to five competitors.

Ruzanna Shiroyan of the A. Shahinyan Specialized School of Physics and Mathematics earned Armenia’s silver medal.

Three other members of the Armenian team took bronze: Natalie Margaryan and Bagrat Bagratyan, also students at the A. Shahinyan school, and Emil Harutyunyan of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia’s senior school.

Davit Badalyan of the Shirakatsy Lyceum Scientific-Educational Complex completed Armenia’s five-member team.

The Olympiad tested students in four areas — theory, observation, data analysis and planetarium — requiring competitors to demonstrate both academic knowledge and practical astronomy skills.

Armenia’s delegation was led by Artashes Mkrtchyan of Yerevan State University and the Yerevan Scientific-Educational Foundation, and Artavazd Harutyunyan of Yerevan State University and the A. Shahinyan Specialized School of Physics and Mathematics.

The four-medal finish follows another strong showing for Armenia at the competition. At the 18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in Mumbai, India, in 2025, Armenian students won two silver medals and one bronze.

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