The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has honoured 23 Pakistani students for their international science Olympiad awards at a ceremony in Islamabad on 7 November, celebrating the 14 distinctions the students earned for Pakistan at this year’s world competitions in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence.
The ceremony, organised under the STEM Careers Programme, was a homecoming rather than a results day: the medals and mentions were won earlier at the 2026 International Science Olympiads, and the evening in Islamabad was about giving the students, and the teachers and families behind them, their moment of national recognition.
Fourteen Science Olympiad Awards Across Five Olympiads
The science olympiad awards celebrated at the ceremony add up to 14 distinctions across the five subjects:
- 1 silver medal
- 6 bronze medals
- 5 honourable mentions
- 1 Certificate of Merit
- 1 Certificate of Recognition
The 23 students honoured in Islamabad represented Pakistan at the international olympiads in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, competing against national teams from around the world in each subject.
Between them, the five teams covered the full spread of school science: the laboratory disciplines of Biology and Chemistry, the physical science of Physics, the abstract problem solving of Mathematics, and now Artificial Intelligence, where Pakistan’s first official team has opened a new front. Fourteen distinctions spread across all five fields is a breadth no single star student could produce; it is the mark of a system producing talent in depth.
Silver in Biology, and a First Appearance in Artificial Intelligence
The standout result belonged to Hassan Atif Cheema, who won a silver medal at the International Biology Olympiad, the highest medal in Pakistan’s 2026 haul. Medals at the senior international olympiads are hard won: students sit demanding theoretical and practical papers set for the strongest young scientists of their age group worldwide.
The ceremony also marked a milestone of a different kind. Pakistan took part officially in the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) for the first time, extending the country’s olympiad presence to a fifth field and putting Pakistani students into one of the newest and fastest growing of the world science competitions.
The olympiad pipeline has been delivering for Pakistan in newer competitions too, with students striking gold at the International Nuclear Science Olympiad in two straight years, a sign of how deep the country’s young science talent now runs.
A university lecture theatre: the route to an olympiad team runs through years of study and selection camps.
Photo: Open Ed, via Wikimedia Commons
Prizes for the Students, Credit for Teachers and Institutions
Chairman HEC Prof Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar attended the ceremony as chief guest and distributed cash prizes and certificates among the students. He appreciated their hard work, perseverance and commitment to scientific excellence, and acknowledged the contributions of parents, teachers and mentors who supported the students throughout their preparation.
The event was attended by PIEAS Rector Dr Anila Usman, Pro-Rector Dr Jamil Ahmad, senior HEC officials, faculty members and students. HEC also recognised the role of the institutions involved in preparing and mentoring the national teams, including PIEAS, COMSATS University Lahore, the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE-C) and the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi.
The STEM Careers Programme, implemented by HEC in collaboration with PIEAS, works to identify talented students and prepare them for international science competitions through specialised training and mentorship, so the ceremony celebrated not only the students’ results but the collective effort of the educators, institutions and families behind them.
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In practice, that route means students are identified through school and national rounds, brought into specialised training and mentorship, and prepared by scientists at institutions such as PIEAS and the ICCBS before a final team is selected for each olympiad. It is a long road, and the 23 students honoured in Islamabad are the ones who walked all of it this year.
Building the Next Team
The HEC chairman reaffirmed the commission’s and the government’s commitment to nurturing young scientific talent and providing opportunities for aspiring scientists, researchers and innovators to compete at international levels.
That pipeline starts long before an olympiad team is picked. At the grassroots end, a free robotics training programme is set to reach 10,000 students across Pakistan, while Pakistani students keep collecting honours abroad in other arenas too, including a second prize at the Belt and Road Business Elite Challenge. For the 23 students honoured this week, the science olympiad awards are both a reward for years of work and the strongest possible advertisement to the next class of young scientists considering the same road.
Sources
- The Academia Magazine, HEC honours young scientists for 14 international awards
- CW Pakistan, HEC honours 23 Pakistani students for medals at 2026 International Science Olympiads
- Around Pakistan, HEC recognises 23 Pakistani students for medals at international science olympiads
- Featured photo: COD Newsroom, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Open Ed, via Wikimedia Commons
Umar Farooq is the founder and editor of Good News Pakistan. An engineer by profession and a writer by passion, he started the site in December 2022 to share good news from Pakistan, and has since written and edited more than 200 articles about its people, sports, science, business and world records. He believes the story of Pakistan is bigger than its headlines, and that good news, told honestly, is worth telling every day.