Programming Archives - International Python Olympiad

From Passion to Victory: Yohanes Arya, The winner of Python olympiads 2025

The recently conducted Python Olympiads 2025 by GEMA Education was won by Yohanes Arya Prasteyuda, who studies in Indonesia. He has been very passionate and interested in coding since grade 8 and this is what makes him different from others. He has a keen interest in Python and Lua and has participated in various competitions too. He enjoys coding as an interactive experience and a game rather than a career oriented skill. Talking about how his interest began in coding and programming, he shares that he first was interested in Python when he realised how versatile it is as a coding language. He started exploring graphical user interfaces using libraries too. He also stated how Python can transform imagination into something tangible. Motivation and Preparation When asked about his motivation to participate in the Olympiad he tells us that first his friend mentioned there was a competition that focuses on Python programming he decided to take the initiative to participate. He had a little experience in Python during that time and saw the Olympiad as an opportunity to apply his skills and express his gratuity through code. His preparation basically started with reviewing the competition criteria, understanding the expectations for his category and once he had a clear vision he started envisioning the type of content he wanted to create. He planned the outline and ensured it aligned with the given guidelines. He also made a schedule to dedicate what days he would work on what part. Obstacles When the interviewer asked about the challenges he faced during preparation, Arya answered that he struggled with consistent motivation, there were days he felt inspired and motivated but there were also days he felt like giving up. He also dealt with frustration during unexpected errors in the code. The key is to never give up and keep working, and that’s how you win. He found the process testing his patience but also it taught him resilience and kept him working hard and worth it. He finds the field of Artificial Intelligence, particularly neural networks, to be the most fascinating part of python. He talks about a game where AI is used to record the players data and behaviour for the game. He looks forward to exploring more about the application of AI in robotics. Yohanes prefers to work on his projects alone as it helps him focus and process his thoughts clearly and deeply without distractions. Other Interests Other than Python and coding, Arya loved to play with Lego as a child and he also exercises everyday to refresh himself after long hours of studying. Talking about his ideals and motivations, he talks about J. Robert Oppenheimer and Alan Turing, he is always fascinated to watch films about their life and it inspires him. Future goals About his future, Arya says he will most likely pursue Python and he is currently also learning C++. In the future he would love to explore the application of pythons in different fields to make it more interactive. Lastly he would advise students to carefully review the competition criteria, guidelines and plan accordingly.

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Python and Piano: How Nicholas Juggles Coding and Life

Recently, Nicholas Sandjada, an eight grader took home the consolation prize for the Python Olympiads 2025. In an interview with GEMA—who hosted the competition—Sandjada opened up and shared insights about his thoughts, interests, and experience regarding the Python Olympiads. As someone who claims to be creative with technology, Nicholas had developed an interest in programming since he was ten which led him to take part in coding classes which only made him love it more. “I wanted to challenge myself.” Nicholas said his motivation for joining the competition was his desire to challenge his own skills by competing with others that loved coding just as much as him. For preparations, Nicholas practiced coding problems, reviewed his Python basics and applied them to his own programs and also learned new skills for his project entirely overcoming his biggest problem of figuring out how to make his project easy to understand. He talked about his love for variables, operations, loops, and conditional programs to make his projects better even confessing that coding the order of operations for his project was his proudest moment during the contest. Tech Role Model Apart from coding, Nicholas plays the piano, reads and enjoys solving math problems. His biggest inspiration is Steve Jobs, whose creativity and technology has significantly changed the world. Winning this Olympiad for Nicholas has helped him learn to do better and take on bigger challenges and also strengthen his resolve to become a future programmer and make educational apps to help students learn math in fun ways. In the future, he sees himself pursuing this path in higher studies, building new software and even starting his own tech company. A Word With The Parents Nicholas’ mother revealed that his interest in solving problems and curiosity about computers even as a child was very evident. By elementary school, he was already building robots out of legos and eventually his interest in coding led him to join coding classes for Python. As supportive parents, they have always provided him with the time and resources needed to enhance his skills and learn more about programming. Even when faced with challenges, his parents have always encouraged him to keep trying. “We maintain a balanced schedule by giving him space, giving him time for school work, coding and also arrange time for practicing the piano.”, said his mother, “Also, don’t forget for relaxation and family time.” Conclusion Nicholas’ mother believes his persistence and curiosity and ability to focus is most important and his experience in competitions like this will not only build his problem solving skills but also grow his confidence and creativity. With heartfelt congratulations and the best wishes for his future, the interview wrapped up with Nicholas’ advice to young coders like him looking forward to joining the Python Olympiads next year being, “Practice every day. Don’t give up when you face a difficult problem and enjoy the process of learning.”