Ateneo opens AI olympiad search for Filipino students

Ateneo BUILD has opened applications for the IOAI Philippines 2027 national selection for Filipino K-12 students. The programme offers free artificial intelligence training and a pathway to international competitions.

The search is open to Filipino students studying in the Philippines or overseas who were born on or after July 1, 2007. Long-term foreign residents may also qualify, subject to residency and schooling requirements.

No programming experience is required for the first round. Students can complete it online using a mobile phone, without a personal computer.

The first round will run from November 16 to 22, 2026, and registration is open until November 11, 2026. The assessment combines IOAI EduSpace Round 1 with a national multiple-choice test, while coding tasks begin in later stages.

Hosted by the Ateneo de Manila University Business Insights Labouratory for Development, the programme has widened eligibility this year from Grades 7 to 12 to all Kindergarten to Grade 12 students who meet the age requirement. More than 80 public, private, science and international schools have already registered students.

Selection process

The top 300 participants in the first round will advance to the qualifiers, followed by the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Overseas Filipino students can remain in the online process through the semi-finals.

A two-day national final is scheduled at Ateneo BUILD on February 20 and 21, 2027. The top four finalists will represent the Philippines at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in Singapore, while the top four non-graduating students will compete at the Asia-Pacific Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence in Russia.

The selection follows the Philippines' first appearance at IOAI in 2026. All four members of the national team won medals in Astana, Kazakhstan - one silver and three bronze - against 466 students from 108 countries and territories.

Earlier that year, an eight-member Philippine delegation won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the inaugural Asia-Pacific Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence. The result left the country tied for sixth place among 18 countries and territories.

Martin Gomez, Executive Director and Team Leader of IOAI PH, pointed to that debut in describing the current intake. "Last season showed that Filipino students can stand with the best in the world in AI," Gomez said.

Wider access

The programme is designed as an entry point for students with no previous technical training. By allowing mobile phone access in the opening round, organisers are lowering hardware requirements for students who may not have a laptop or desktop computer.

The approach also widens the pool beyond students already involved in programming contests or specialist science tracks. Later rounds introduce coding tasks, allowing participants to enter with limited experience and build skills as the competition progresses.

Organisers present the programme as a way for students to explore artificial intelligence beyond the consumer tools now common in daily life. For schools and families, it also offers a structured route into a field drawing growing interest from universities and employers.

Achievements in AI olympiads may also carry academic value for some applicants seeking places in higher education. Universities including Nanyang Technological University and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence consider IOAI achievements in their undergraduate admissions processes, subject to their respective requirements.

Expanding eligibility to younger students marks a broader push to bring AI learning to a wider age group. It also reflects growing interest in competitive science and technology programmes in the Philippines, where international olympiads are often seen as both talent pipelines and markers of national progress in technical education.

For Ateneo BUILD, the initiative places the university-linked laboratory at the centre of a national search for school-age AI talent. The opening round's low barrier to entry, combined with the country's recent medal results, is likely to test demand among Filipino students for formal competition pathways in artificial intelligence.

Students who advance through the selection will compete for four places on the national IOAI team and four APOAI places among non-graduating finalists. More than 80 public, private, science and international schools have already registered.