Archive · 11 Aug 2026
India wins gold, three bronze at International Linguistics Olympiad 2026
Some very smart students from India went to a big contest in Romania called the International Linguistics Olympiad.
At the contest, kids from more than 40 countries try to solve puzzles about languages they have never learned before.
They look at unfamiliar languages and figure out the rules and patterns using logic and careful thinking.
The Indian team did really well, winning one gold medal and three bronze medals.
A student named Shrilakshmi Venkatraman won the gold medal.
Three other students won bronze medals, and one more student received an honourable mention.
The team was chosen through a national contest called the Panini Linguistics Olympiad, which is run with the help of IIIT Hyderabad.
The chosen students practised at a ten-day residential camp at the IIIT-H campus before travelling to Romania.
India has been sending teams to this contest since 2009 and has won 37 medals so far.
India's eight-member contingent at the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) 2026 in Romania won one gold medal, three bronze medals and an honourable mention.
Shrilakshmi Venkatraman won the gold medal, while Aarav Anil Rao, Nishanth Shankar Lakshmanan and Advay Misra secured bronze medals and Soham Amit Pednekar received an honourable mention.
The competition brings together school students from more than 40 countries and tests their ability to identify patterns in unfamiliar languages using logic and analytical reasoning, with no prior linguistics knowledge required.
The team was selected through the Panini Linguistics Olympiad, coordinated by IIIT Hyderabad, after a national qualifying contest in February 2026 and a 10-day residential camp held from May 31 to June 10 at IIIT-H.
India has participated in the IOL since 2009, winning 37 medals so far — six gold, nine silver and 22 bronze — along with nine 'best solution' awards and 19 honourable mentions.
- Who
- India's eight-member contingent of pre-university students, including gold medalist Shrilakshmi Venkatraman, bronze medalists Aarav Anil Rao, Nishanth Shankar Lakshmanan and Advay Misra, and honourable mention Soham Amit Pednekar, led by Prof Parameswari Krishnamurthy of IIIT Hyderabad and Faraz Siddiqui.
- What
- India won one gold medal, three bronze medals and an honourable mention at the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) 2026 held in Romania.
- When
- IOL 2026 was held in 2026; India's selection began with registrations opening on November 13, 2025, followed by the national qualifying contest in February 2026 and the residential camp from May 31 to June 10.
- Where
- Romania, which hosted IOL 2026; the Indian team was selected and trained at the IIIT Hyderabad campus.
- Why
- The Olympiad tests whether students can identify grammatical, phonological and structural patterns in unfamiliar languages using logic and analytical reasoning, without prior linguistics knowledge.
- Medals won
- 1 gold, 3 bronze, 1 honourable mention
- Gold medalist
- Shrilakshmi Venkatraman
- Bronze medalists
- Aarav Anil Rao, Nishanth Shankar Lakshmanan, Advay Misra
- Competition
- International Linguistics Olympiad 2026, Romania
- Participating countries
- More than 40
- India's record since 2009
- 37 medals: 6 gold, 9 silver, 22 bronze; 9 best-solution awards; 19 honourable mentions
- Selection process
- Panini Linguistics Olympiad; 525 registered, 338 appeared in first round
- Residential camp
- 10 days at IIIT-H, May 31 – June 10
