University of Athens Earns Top Honours with Three Gold, Three Silver, and Two Bronze Medals at SEEMOUS International Mathematics Competition

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was represented by an eight-member team at the South-Eastern European Mathematical Olympiad for University Students (SEEMOUS), held on 5 March 2026 in Paphos, Cyprus. This year’s competition, staged in a hybrid format (both online and in person), brought together 97 students from eight countries and 27 universities.

The University of Athens team delivered an outstanding performance:

Orestis Lignos – gold medallist (1^st place overall)

Konstantinos Koutsourakis – gold medallist

Anastasios Pastos – gold medallist

Diomidis Varvaresos – silver medallist

Markos Radaios – silver medallist

Panagiotis Glyptis – silver medallist

Ermis Souldatos – bronze medallist

Anna Georgantidi – bronze medallist

Notably, Orestis Lignos secured first place among all 97 participants, an exceptional achievement matched by a Greek competitor only twice in the 20-year history of the Olympiad, in 2011 and 2016.

The team also claimed second place overall among the 27 participating universities, highlighting the depth of mathematical talent at the institution.

The team was accompanied by Konstantinos Psaromiligkos, a researcher at the Department of Mathematics and a PhD from the University of Chicago, who also distinguished himself in mathematics competitions both as a high school student and throughout his university studies.

Founded in 2006, SEEMOUS (South-Eastern European Mathematical Olympiad for University Students) is a mathematics competition open to first- and second-year students throughout South-Eastern Europe. Participants have five hours to solve four problems drawn from Infinitesimal Calculus, Real Analysis, and Linear Algebra.

Each year, faculty members at the University of Athens’ Department of Mathematics and the National Technical University of Athens’ School of Applied Mathematical and Physical Sciences, as well as senior students who have previously excelled in mathematics competitions, prepare those who wish to participate. Students from both the University of Athens and the National Technical University of Athens attend the courses, after which a qualifying competition is held to select the team that will represent the University of Athens.

Since the inception of such competitions, the Department of Mathematics has had a long history of success and a consistent presence with first-place rankings and gold medals. Every year, the Department attracts numerous students with strong interest and aptitude for mathematical research. Many of them continue their studies at leading universities in Europe and the US on full scholarships.

https://www.math.uoa.gr/diakriseis_melon_tmimatos/seemous/

https://www.math.uoa.gr/diakriseis_melon_tmimatos/imc/