India Wins Gold and Three Bronzes at Linguistics Olympiad 2026 with IIIT Hyderabad Support

Indian students secured five honors, including one gold medal and three bronze medals, at the International Linguistics Olympiad 2026 held in Romania, with training and mentorship provided by IIIT Hyderabad.

Shrilakshmi Venkatraman won the gold medal for India at the international competition. Bronze medals were awarded to Aarav Anil Rao, Nishanth Shankar Lakshmanan, and Advay Misra, while Soham Amit Pednekar received an honourable mention.

The International Linguistics Olympiad brings together school students from more than 40 countries to test their ability to decode patterns in unfamiliar languages. Participants are evaluated on their logic, analytical reasoning, and pattern recognition skills.

IIIT Hyderabad has played a key role in driving India’s participation in the competition since taking over the mentoring of the Panini Linguistics Olympiad in 2015. The institute's Language Technologies Research Centre manages student selection, training, and mentoring through specialized camps, problem-solving sessions, and mock Olympiads.

India has been participating in the International Linguistics Olympiad since 2009. With the latest achievements in Romania, the national tally stands at 37 medals, including six gold, nine silver, and 22 bronze medals, alongside other honours.