ITMO Students Earn Five Medals at International Math Competition

The team of ITMO University consists of students from the Information Technologies and Programming Faculty and the Faculty of Physics. The best result was demonstrated by Konstantin Mortikov, a second-year student of the program AI360: ML Native, who scored 66 points, earning first prize. Several medals went to students of programs by the Institute of Applied Computer Science: first prizes were secured by Sergey Druzhkov, a first-year Master’s student (61 points), and Konstantin Pakulnevich, a fourth-year Bachelor’s student (60 points); second prize was taken by Nikita Galimullin, a third-year Bachelor’s student (55 points). Another second prize was taken by Konstantin Rodionenko, a first-year Master’s student in the program Advanced Quantum and Nanophotonic Systems (47 points).

All members of the team prepared for the competition with ITMO’s Math Olympiad Club. In class, students looked into demos and problems from previous years. IMC participants were selected based on the results of several open competitions, regional contests, and the Siberian Olympiad, all of which took place in October and December of 2025.

IMC includes two rounds. On each day of the competition, students spend five hours solving challenging math problems in algebra, calculus, geometry, combinatorics, and number theory. To learn more about this year’s problems and results, check the competition’s website.

“IMC is like a little life. We spent several months intensely training, then we were solving the hardest tasks for two days, and next came the nerve-wracking appeals and constant checking of the scoreboard. This was my first time and I am very pleased I took first prize. For me, it’s a high honor that’ll prove my skills when applying for a Master’s program or even for a job. I am planning to participate again next year: I want to improve my result and share my experience with younger students to make our team’s great performance a tradition. We are now running classes at the math club, so join in!” shares Konstantin Mortikov.

ITMO students earned a mean of 60.7 points. With this result, the team took 11th place in the overall university ranking and 4th in the ranking of Russian universities. In total, IMC welcomed 447 students from 136 universities and 47 countries.

The 33rd IMC organized by University College London and the American University in Bulgaria took place in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, on July 27 – August 3, 2026. Russia was represented by 77 participants from 12 universities, including MIPT, Lomonosov Moscow State University, HSE University, ITMO, Novosibirsk State University, and St. Petersburg State University. Among other countries represented in the contest were the US, Germany, France, China, India, Iran, Brazil, Singapore, Australia, Egypt, and others.

Held annually since 1994, IMC is one of the most prestigious international math competitions for university students. Unlike team student competitions, the IMC leaderboard contains individual results; however, a university’s place in the overall ranking is determined by the sum of points earned by its representatives.