Twenty-three students won at the national round of the IRO Bangladesh Open 2026 in Dhaka, moving a step closer to representing Bangladesh at the 28th International Robot Olympiad in Vienna, Austria, in January 2027.

Organised by the Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN), the two-day competition brought together more than 500 students at the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) on 11–12 September, according to a press release.

The participants qualified through a nationwide online preliminary round. Those selected will be invited to attend an international team selection camp on 18–19 September, where their performance will determine the final Bangladesh team.

The competition featured Creative and Physical Computing events on the first day, followed by Mission Challenge and Robotics Quiz events on the second. A closing and prize-giving ceremony was held on the final afternoon.

Among the junior winners were Sunnydale School students Wadi Binte Habib and Warid Bin Habib, who won silver, and Mohammadpur Preparatory School and College student Zubaidah Zafreen, who won bronze.

YWCA Higher Secondary Girls’ School student Nusaiba Tazreen Tanisha won senior gold in Physical Computing. Dhaka Residential Model College student Muaz Ibn Bashar won silver, while Nafia Bashar Suhani of Mohammadpur Preparatory School and College and Mohammad Zarif Bin Salek and Sasmit Banik of Dhaka Residential Model College won bronze.

Technical awards went to Raiyana Rufaida of Viqarunnisa Noon School & College and Md Ayaan Rahman of Dhaka Residential Model College.

Emerald International School students Muhtashim Mahir, Md Abdullaheel Aleem and Munawar Hisan also won junior bronze medals, while William Carey Academy student Zaima Jahin Wara won senior silver.

In the Mission Challenge, Nusaiba Tazreen Tanisha received a senior technical award.

Other junior winners included Muhtadi Mahrus Wahid of Jalalabad Cantonment English School and College, who won gold; Md Toufiq Hasan of Saint Joseph International School and Azman Rasul Rihan of Ideal School and College, who won silver; and Fatin Hasnat Sowad of Adamjee Cantonment Public School, who won bronze.

Among the other senior winners, Md Mahid Zaman of St Joseph International School won gold, Md Azfar Haque Abir of Rajuk Uttara Model College won silver, and Akramul Islam of Milestone College Dakshinkhan and Areeb Zaman Raatib of Glenrich International School won bronze.

“Winning today was completely unexpected for me. But when I heard my name announced at the prize-giving ceremony, I was overjoyed. If I get the chance to be on the national team, I hope to perform well at the international round,” said Nusaiba Tazreen Tanisha.

Ramu Cantonment English School and College Principal Lt Col Dr Md Abdur Rahim brought two six-member teams from Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, to the competition.

“Our students have been preparing for this competition for a long time. It would have felt even better to win a medal today, but even without one, they have learnt a great deal and gained valuable experience. This will serve them well in the days ahead,” he said.

ICT Division Secretary Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan attended the closing ceremony as chief guest.

Special guests included UAP Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohiuddin Ahmed Bhuiyan, ICT Directorate Director General (Additional Secretary) Dr Sadia Sharmin, and Ulkasemi Analog Layout Design Department Director Moon Sadia Dipthee.

BdOSN President Munir Hasan and IRO Central Committee Member Professor Dr Lafifa Jamal were also present.

Addressing the ceremony, Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan thanked the organisers and pledged the ICT Division’s support to expand the initiative nationwide.

“Going forward, I will work on how we can be more closely involved with this initiative, and what further support our ministry can provide to help spread it across the country,” he said.

Registration ran from 1 to 25 August. During that period, Bangladesh Robot Olympiad trainers trained around 1,500 students through 12 robotics workshops across all eight divisions. The online preliminary round took place on 28–29 August.

This year’s theme, “Cultural Heritage Service Robots”, encourages participants to develop robots and technological solutions that present, interpret and preserve cultural heritage.

Bangladesh is participating in the Olympiad for the ninth consecutive year. Over the previous eight editions, the Bangladesh team won 94 medals, including 15 gold.

Ulkasemi is the event’s gold sponsor and Creative IT is its silver sponsor. Bronze sponsors are RH Corporation, Texco Tech, Millennium Organics, and Innovative Product Network Co Ltd.

The ICT Division and ICT Directorate support the Bangladesh team. Event partners include Jamuna TV, UAP Robotics Club, Bigganchinta, Kishor Alo, Cloud Number 24, and Rokomari.com.