ع
The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) joined with the Ministry of Education to announce the end of registration for the first edition of the National Gifted Olympiad, which serves as Saudi Arabia’s largest national science competition for intermediate and high school students. Mawhiba reported a total of 444,134 students signed up from 10,932 schools across the Kingdom, including 100,095 in the scientific track and 344,039 in the research track. The foundation noted that the turnout demonstrates the program’s wide appeal and its standing among national scientific events targeting these age groups.
Mawhiba data places the combined registrations at a level that reflects broad engagement from every region while advancing efforts to discover and develop national talent. The olympiad features integrated stages that progress from initial qualification to advanced competition, with the aim of equipping participants for both domestic and international events. This first unified edition builds directly on the separate tracks that operated in prior years.
Mawhiba Secretary-General Abdulaziz Al-Kuraidis stated that the National Gifted Olympiad represents a comprehensive knowledge journey that invests in the minds of Saudi youth by uncovering their scientific and creative abilities. Al-Kuraidis added that the initiative develops those capacities to prepare students for global competition and to contribute to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. He commended the strategic partnership with the Ministry of Education, which he said has fostered a stimulating educational and research setting that reaches students nationwide and expands opportunities for talent nurturing.
Following the close of registration on September 30, participants will enter qualification stages that include testing for the scientific track and project submissions for the research track, according to Mawhiba. These steps lead to central assessments, exhibitions and the olympiad finals scheduled for late January 2027 in Riyadh. The foundation described the sequence as a graduated pathway focused on skill assessment, development and competitive readiness.
The National Gifted Olympiad was created through the merger of the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity (Ibdaa) and the National Science and Mathematics Olympiad (NSMO). The Saudi Press Agency reported that the two earlier competitions had attracted more than 450,000 students during the 2026 cycle before their consolidation into a single event. Mawhiba figures show that the Ibdaa olympiad alone has drawn more than 1.4 million participants cumulatively over its history.
Mawhiba has identified 244,000 talented individuals through its national giftedness program, a foundation assessment found. A separate Mawhiba report placed the total international awards won by Saudi participants in olympiads and scientific competitions at 996 by the end of 2025. These outcomes, along with the current registration surge, align with sustained investment in STEM education and human capital development under national strategic priorities.
