The Dhaka regional round of the “3rd Bangladesh AI Olympiad 2026” was held at the Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT) in a vibrant and festive atmosphere, bringing together students from Dhaka and six neighbouring districts.

The day-long competition featured challenges in programming, logical reasoning and artificial intelligence, reflecting growing student interest in emerging technologies.

The programme began at 8:00am with participant registration, followed by two main segments: an AI coding competition and an AI quiz. The coding contest ran from 8:45am to 11:10am, while the quiz session took place from 9:00am to 9:45am.

A seminar titled “AI in storytelling” was later organised for quiz participants, focusing on the application of AI in creative writing. The session was conducted by students from the Institute of Information Technology at the University of Dhaka.

The closing and prize-giving ceremony started at 11:10am, where nine participants were declared winners in the AI quiz category and 16 in the AI coding competition. Organisers also announced that several selected participants from both segments would qualify for the national round of the Olympiad, scheduled for 16 May. The names of the qualifiers will be published on the official website.

BUBT Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Shawkat Ali attended the ceremony as chief guest. Special guests included Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering Professor Dr Md Nurul Mahbubur Rahman, Director of the Institute of Information Technology at the University of Dhaka and General Secretary of Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN) Professor Dr B M Mainul Hossain, and Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at BUBT Dr Mohammad Aminur Rahman. Managing Director of Jadu PC Masrur Hannan was also present.

In his remarks, the vice-chancellor said, “Artificial intelligence is no longer a vision of the future; it is the reality of our present. Today’s talented students will lead Bangladesh in technological advancement.”

He also announced that winners of the Olympiad would receive up to 100% tuition waiver opportunities at BUBT, generating enthusiasm among participants.

BdOSN President Munir Hasan said, “The young generation of Bangladesh possesses immense talent and potential. Platforms like the AI Olympiad help nurture that potential and prepare students for the global technology stage.”

The event was chaired by Professor Dr Md Ahsan Habib, Chairman of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at BUBT and Dean of its Research and Graduate School.

Organisers from Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN) said the strong participation in the Dhaka regional round reflects the growing interest in AI among students. Winners from this round will compete in the national finale on 16 May.

BUBT is serving as the platinum sponsor and national host of the Olympiad, with REVE Chat as the powered-by partner. Other sponsors include Main Station 23 as gold sponsor, Chaldal Bangladesh and Creative IT as silver sponsors, and Ringo as orange sponsor.

Academic partner for the event is the Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka (IIT-DU), while Deepto TV is the TV partner. Supporting partners include the Bangladesh Science Popularisation Society (SPSB), Shikkhok.com and Jadu PC.