The 5th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA)

The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) (official website) is an annual astronomy and astrophysics competition for high school students. It is one of the official International Science Olympiads, a group of worldwide annual competitions in various areas of the formal sciences, natural sciences, and social sciences (Wikipedia). The competitions are designed for the 4-6 best high school students from each participating country selected through internal National Science Olympiads. Due to the remarkable results of Iran's teams in previous years, we had two teams participating in IOAA 2011, each one consisting of 5 members.

The main goal of the IOAA is to promote the growing interest in Astronomy and related STEM subjects, especially through the general education of young people, and enhancing the development of international contacts among different countries in promoting Astronomy and Astrophysics in schools. It is expected that, through events like the IOAA, more bright high-school students will be eager to study astronomy at the university level to become the next generation of astronomy and astrophysics professionals (IOAA website).
Each year, a country gets selected for hosting the event. The competition consists of a number of theoretical and practical exams, including astrophysics, data analytics, observation, and use of equipment. (full IOAA statutes are here, exam questions are here)

Previously, I've participated and awarded a gold medal in National Astronomy Olympiad (here). Therefore, I've been selected as a member of Iran's official team for the 5th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (5th IOAA), held in Poland (5th IOAA website).

The fifth IOAA was held from 25th August to 4th September 2011. This was the first IOAA to be held in Europe. The participants came from 26 countries. - source

I participated in the 5th IOAA (International Olympiad for Astronomy and Astrophysics), which was held in Poland, as a member of Iran's official team. I received a bronze medal (link), and our team won the silver medal in the group competition (link).

The whole event involved a number of entertainment and touring sessions. These programs were designed to introduce the culture of Poland and also provided the opportunity for participants to meets and know each other. Meeting new people and facing similar/new ways of thinking always used to be delightful experiences at least for me. I happily befriended many great talented people from all over the world and I admire this experience.

The official booklet, containing information about the exams, teams, and memorials of this competition is available here. (mirror)