Basic Information
Competition Structure
UKAIO 2026 is a two-stage competition consisting of the National Qualifier and the National Training Camp.
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The UKAIO National Qualifier will be held in November 2025
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Selected students will be invited to the UKAIO National Training Camp in January 2026
Each stage includes two 90-minute rounds:
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Round 1: AI Fundamentals Challenge
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Round 2: Applied Problem Solving
For detailed schedules and content outlines, please refer to this page and the "Prepare" section of our website.
Registeration Period
Registration is from July to October 30th 2025.
Eligibility
The competition is open to individuals only, with no restrictions on nationality.
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For the UKAIO National Qualifier, all students currently enrolled full-time in secondary schools (Grades 7–12), regardless of country, are eligible to participate.
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Students advancing to the UKAIO National Training Camp must be enrolled full-time in the UK secondary schools (Grades 7–12). Proof of enrollment will be required.
We pledge that all selection processes will be fair, transparent, and impartial. The list of winners and results for both the National Qualifier and the National Training Camp will be published on this website.
Timeline
July - October 30th 2025
Register and Prepare
Registration is now open for the UKAIO selection test, taking place in November 2025. The exam assesses programming and mathematical skills relevant to AI (see syllabus below).
We encourage participants to explore the resources provided in Recourses section below.
Early February 2026
"Home task" of IAIO
The selected team will have extra training sessions in February 2026 in preparation for the IAIO. Team members will be assigned a mentor from academia or industry.
The first round of the IAIO starts in early February 2026 with an at-home task. All team members will be expected to work on this before leaving the UK.
November 23rd 2025
UKAIO National Qualifier
All secondary school students residing in the UK are invited to participate in the UKAIO national qualifier on November 23, 2025 (subject to change).
Participates achieving top results will be recognized with UKAIO certificates in three levels of distinction: First Prize (top 5%), Second Prize (next 15%), and Third Prize (next 30%). The top 12 to 30 participates (subject to change based on total participants) will be invited to join the UKAIO National Training Camp.
23rd-27th February 2026
IAIO Main Contests
The IAIO takes place in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
There will be two contests: the first contest will be paper-based, and the second one will be code-based.
The first contest focuses on solving math or algorithmic problems that test conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. The second contest focuses on practical coding, with a practice session scheduled one day before the competition.
3rd-17th January 2026
UKAIO National Training Camp
An invite-only, multi-day training and selection program held over three consecutive Saturdays in January 2026, the camp features expert-led lectures in AI and competition-style tests.
At the end of the camp, four gold, four silver, and four bronze medals will be awarded based on test performance. All others will receive the certificates of participation. The top four participates will be selected to represent the UK at the 2026 IAIO.
Syllabus
Data Processing
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Python Pandas
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Python Numpy
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Linear algebra fundamentals
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Exploratory data analysis (EDA)
Data Visulization
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Python Matpolitlib
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Python Seaborn
Resources
Here are some resources that will be useful when preparing for the UKAIO contest. We expect participants who do well in the contest to have some knowledge of the following areas.