Finals of PALMA Junior 2025 Took Place at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (June 2025)

On June 19, 2025, the final of the PALMA Junior programming competition took place at the Institute of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. PALMA Junior is a programming contest in Python designed for pupils from the 8th and 9th grades of elementary schools and the 1st to 3rd year of lower secondary schools. The 20th edition during the 2024/2025 academic year comprised three qualification rounds, with the top participants earning a spot in the June finals in Košice.

The day featured intense competition and interactive learning. Finalists from schools across Slovakia tackled a set of challenging algorithmic tasks prepared by the organizers. In addition to the contest itself, the event included discussions aimed at fostering computational thinking and programming skills among young talents. This format not only tested participants’ coding abilities but also encouraged engagement with current trends and technologies in informatics.

As part of the event, AI‑BOOST project presented its activities and goals. AI‑BOOST is an EU‑funded initiative focused on organizing large-scale, open AI innovation competitions across Europe, designed to attract top research teams, offer expert training, and promote infrastructure sharing.