The First National Talented Youth Forum
On January 24, 2025, a large-scale event took place in Kyiv with the participation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy – the First National Talented Youth Forum, which brought together more than 400 of the most talented young Ukrainians from all over the country in the fields of education, science and sports. The participants of the Forum were winners of international and all-Ukrainian educational Olympiads, prize-winners of the World Robotics Olympiad, athletes-prize winners of the European Championships, as well as graduates with the highest results of external independent testing and the national multi-subject test (2021 – 2024) and young scientists.
During the Forum, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with talented youth, shared his vision of the future of Ukraine and emphasized the importance of their role in the restoration of the state.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented 59 Presidential Awards to young scientists, recognizing their outstanding achievements in their respective fields. This was an important step in emphasizing the significance of scientific achievements for the future of the country.
Representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in particular, Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Olga Budnyk, Plenipotentiary Advisor to the President of Ukraine on the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Support of Education, Science and Sports, participated in the Forum.
The Forum also saw the presentation of awards from the Fund of the President of Ukraine for Talented Youth based on their achievements in 2024. A total of 98 awards were presented to young Ukrainians:
– prize-winners and winners of all-Ukrainian and international Olympiads;
– participants of the World Robotics Olympiad;
– athletes, runners-up of the European Championships;
– graduates who received the maximum points at the 2024 NMT.
The Forum was joined by state figures, in particular, Oksen Lisovyi – Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine; Matviy Bidnyy – Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine; Vadym Gutzait – President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
Awards from the Foundation of the President of Ukraine were presented by Olympic champion Olga Kharlan and leading figures in the field of science, culture, and business, including Yevhen Nyshchuk, Natalia Kryvda, Dmitry Komarov, Oleksandr Alferov, entrepreneur Oleksandr Konotopsky, and opinion leaders.
World-class personalities addressed the youth in an online format, in particular, Marina Vyazovskaya – Fields Medal winner, and Scott Kelly – NASA astronaut, Paul Nurse – Nobel Prize winner in physiology or medicine.
Despite the difficult conditions of the war, Ukrainian schoolchildren continue to achieve victories in the international arena. Thus, in 2024, they won 25 medals (13 silver and 12 bronze) in seven international Olympiads in mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and geography. These achievements demonstrate the indomitable spirit and determination of our young citizens.
The forum showed that the energy, ambitions and ideas of young people are key to the restoration of our country and the creation of its prosperous future. The event became a symbol of the fact that Ukraine is a country of opportunities, which has a large number of its own talents.
The forum will become an annual tradition that will not only support talented youth, but also motivate them to unite and realize their potential in Ukraine.
The event was partnered by Sense Bank, one of the leading banks in Ukraine, which actively supports initiatives in the fields of education, sports, and youth development.
