Bulgarian Chemistry And Environmental Protection Olympiad¶
Национална олимпиада по химия и опазване на околната среда
Key Websites¶
- Ministry of Education and Science
- Association of Olympic Teams in Natural Sciences
- Sofia University - Chemistry Olympiad
Overview¶
Key Facts
- Official name: National Olympiad in Chemistry and Environmental Protection (Национална олимпиада по химия и опазване на околната среда)
- Organizer: Ministry of Education and Science (MON)
- Academic partner: Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy (writes problems, trains team)
- Funding partner: Association of Olympic Teams in Natural Sciences (СООПН, founded 2010)
- Structure: Three rounds (Municipal → Regional → National) across five age groups
- IChO since: 1969 (2nd IChO, Katowice) — first non-founding country; continuous since 1972
- IChO hosting: Twice — Sofia 1973 and Burgas 1981
The Bulgarian Chemistry Olympiad is organized jointly by the Ministry of Education and Science (MON), the Association of Olympic Teams in Natural Sciences (established in 2010), and the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy at Sofia University, which writes the problems, trains the teams, and publishes the materials. Bulgaria was one of the earliest IChO participants, joining at the 2nd IChO in 1969 as the first non-founding country, and has competed continuously since 1972.
Competition Format¶
The competition follows a three-tier elimination system across five age groups.
-
Municipal Round общински
- Open entry at the local level — free, with no prior qualification required
- Held at the student's own school by mid-January
- Tasks are often set by school teachers; a score above 75 advances
- Theoretical and practical/experimental examinations
-
Regional Round областен
- Top scorers from the municipal round advance
- Held in early February at the provincial level
- Tasks are set by the National Commission and are identical nationwide
- Conducted across all 28 oblasts (provinces)
-
National Round национален
- Held in March over two consecutive days
- Theoretical and experimental examination
- Grades IX and XI–XII take two sets of tasks over two days, including a laboratory task
- ~20–40 students per age group (~100–200 total) reach this round
- The top ~10 of the senior group (XI–XII) form the extended national team, which then competes in a separate selection round for the IChO (see below)
National Team Selection (Подборно контролно)¶
The national round is not the final step for the IChO team. A separate selection control test (подборно контролно, also labelled "подборен кръг" in the university archive) has been part of the programme:
- The top ~10 of the senior age group from the national round form the extended national team; up to 5 students from the next-youngest group may join the preparation.
- 14–15 days of special preparation with national team coaches.
- Selection control test — a written theoretical part plus an experimental part, prepared by the National Commission (typically late April).
- The top 4 of the selection test become the IChO team, followed by up to 20 days of further training.
Mendeleev team is different
The Mendeleev Olympiad team is chosen directly by national-round ranking — no separate selection test.
Five Age Groups¶
Students compete in five separate age-group categories, with their own examination:
| Group | Grades | Exam characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1-2 | VII (7th grade) & VIII (8th grade) | Shorter tests with closed questions |
| Group 3-4 | IX (9th grade) & X (10th grade) | Harder; national round includes experimental task |
| Group 5 | XI–XII (11th–12th grade) | Hardest; 5 hours compulsory + 3 hours independent work at national round |
Recent Reform
Until around 2019/20, the structure had only four groups (VII, VIII, IX, and X–XII). The split of the combined X–XII group into separate X and XI–XII groups was a recent reform, documented in a 2026 academic study comparing cohorts graduating in 2021 and 2024.
Student Outcomes¶
Under the 2023 regulation change (Ordinance No. 8, amended October 2023), olympiad success brings substantial university admission benefits:
Laureate Status (Лауреат)
Students who: - Place 1st–3rd at a national olympiad, or - Earn any IChO medal (gold/silver/bronze) as a national team member
receive laureate status, granting admission without an entrance examination when the olympiad subject matches the chosen university programme.
Additional benefits introduced in the 2023 reforms:
- Admission is outside the standard state-funded quota (extra places)
- Distinctions earned in 11th grade now count (previously only 12th grade)
- Universities award an automatic excellent (6) grade for entrance exams matching the olympiad subject
- Certificates are issued by MON in the student's final year
History¶
Early Years: Founding Member of the International Olympiad¶
1969: Bulgaria joined the IChO at the 2nd edition in Katowice, Poland — the first country outside the three founding nations (Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary). At the time the USSR and East Germany were still observers, making Bulgaria's early entry notable within the Eastern-bloc olympiad movement.
1972 onward: Bulgaria has competed continuously in the IChO.
Hosting the IChO — Twice¶
Bulgaria is one of the few countries to have hosted the IChO two times:
| Year | Location | Edition | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Sofia | 5th IChO | 7 countries; Bulgarian Valeri Kovachev took 7th place (3rd Prize) |
| 1981 | Burgas | 13th IChO | 14 countries, 55 students; Bulgaria won 1 gold (Georgi Saraivanov) + 1 silver + 2 bronze |
Golden Era and Reforms¶
1988–1989: Tomislav Gunchev won back-to-back IChO golds, culminating in absolute first place worldwide at the 1989 IChO in Halle, East Germany — Bulgaria's first world champion.
2010: The Association of Olympic Teams in Natural Sciences (СООПН) was founded, continuing the work of the America for Bulgaria Foundation programme, which had financed team training since 2004. The association now funds selection, training camps, and international travel across 9–10 subjects.
~2019/20: The age-group structure expanded from four to five categories, splitting the combined X–XII group.
2020–2022: During the pandemic, the experimental and selection rounds were not held, with materials published online.
2023: Ordinance No. 8 reform expanded laureate status (see Student Outcomes). The selection round also resumed..
2024: Victor Lilov achieved the best individual IChO result since Gunchev — finishing 2nd at the 56th IChO in Riyadh (gold). Earlier, he had also won the 58th Mendeleev Olympiad in Shenzhen outright (first place).
Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad¶
Bulgaria has participated in the Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad (IMChO) since 2004, joining North Macedonia and Romania as the first non-post-Soviet countries to enter the competition, which grew out of the Soviet All-Union Olympiad.
2024 (58th IMChO, Shenzhen): Bulgaria's best result — 2 golds, including the competition outright (first place).
IChO Performance¶
IChO Medal Record
15 Gold · 
29 Silver · 
83 Bronze · 
13 Honorable Mentions
| Year | Host | Bulgaria's Medals |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Zurich | 2G + 2S |
| 2024 | Riyadh | 1G + 2S + 1B |
| 2025 | Dubai | 1G + 1S + 2B |
| 2026 | Tashkent | 1G + 1S + 2B |
Multi-Gold Medalists
- Tomislav Gunchev — Gold 1988 and 1989 (absolute world 1st)
- Petar Hristov — Gold 2017 and 2018
- Victor Lilov — Gold 2023 (rank 21) and 2024 (rank 2)
- Damyan Ivanov — Gold 2025 and 2026
Past Exams Archive¶
Past papers from 2000–2019 in print
According to Sofia University, papers from 2000–2019 were published by the University Publishing House "St. Kliment Ohridski" in print format.
Grade 11-12¶
| Year | Regional Round | National Round | National Team Selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Link | Link | Question Solution |
| 2025 | Link | Link | Link |
| 2024 | Link | Link | Question Solution |
| 2023 | Link | Link | Link |
| 2022 | Link | Link | |
| 2021 | Link | Link | |
| 2020 | Link | Link |
Grade 09-10¶
| Year | Regional Round | National Round |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Link | Link |
| 2025 | Link | Link |
| 2024 | Link | Link |
| 2023 | Link | Link |
| 2022 | Link | Link |
| 2021 | Link | Link |
| 2020 | Link | Link |
Grade 07-08¶
| Year | Regional Round | National Round |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Link | Link |
| 2025 | Link | Link |
| 2024 | Link | Link |
| 2023 | Link | Link |
| 2022 | Link | Link |
| 2021 | Link | Link |
| 2020 | Link | Link |