The British Informatics Olympiad is the computing competition for schools and colleges. We are proud to present BIO 2026.
The 2026 British Informatics Olympiad

BIO 2026 will take place December 2025 - January 2026 and Easter 2026. The competition is open to all students in full-time pre-university education in mainland Britain, and involves solving problems against the clock, using nothing more than pen, paper and a computer.

The BIO consists of three stages. The first is a 3-hour test, the British Informatics Olympiad, which takes place in schools during December and January. This involves solving a range of problems using a computer. The second stage is the final, which will be held in Cambridge in Easter 2026. The top four finalists will make up the team to travel to the 2026 International Olympiad in Informatics, hosted by Germany.

As well as the possibility of winning a medal the team will enjoy VIP treatment and get to socialise with contestants from 90 different countries that will take part.

We will also be selecting the national team for the European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics and the Western European Olympiad in Informatics.

See the links below for information about BIO 2026.