The Faculty of Chemistry at the Universitat de València held on 8 May the diploma award ceremony for the winners of the Local phase of the Chemistry Olympiad, on an event that highlights young talent and scientific interest among high-school students.
In this edition, the awarded students of the local phase were Carlos Celada Esteve from Gençana Educational Center, who took the first place, and was supervised by the teacher José Tel; Víctor Zhou from Colegio Internacional Ausiàs March won the second place, and was supervised by Tamara Gimeno; and Pau Acero Moreno from IES Joanot Martorell on the third place, who was supervised by the teacher María Rosa Montserrat. The standings are completed by Joan Álvarez Usina, from IES Cid Campeador, in fourth place, supervised by teacher Francisco Valero; Sergio Cobreros Escribano, from IES Joanot Martorell, in fifth place, supervised by teacher María Rosa Monserrat; and Rocío Marco Marco, from Colegio La Salle Paterna, in sixth place, supervised by teacher Francisco Calabuig.
The event was hosted by the Vice-Principal for Studies and Quality from the Universitat de València, Javier Roca, and it featured Rafael Ibáñez, Dean of the Faculty of Physics; José Alberto Conejero, the Vice-Principal for Students and Entrepreneurship from the Universitat Politècnica de València; Rosana López, President of the Asociación de Químicos de la Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian Community Chemists Association); and Andrea Olmos, Secretary of the Valencia and Castellón Territorial Section of Real Sociedad Española de Química (Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry).
During his intervention, the Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry highlighted the relevance of this educational initiative, in which 190 students from educational centres across the Valencian territory during the academic year 2025-2026 took part. From the whole, 20 students where pre-selected, receiving 12 training seminars focused on different contents of the Chemistry programme from the Spanish Baccalaureate.
Additionally, the academic authorities underlined the high level the students showed and the importance of this type of programmes to promote scientific vocation among students. Moreover, the commitment of the teachers from the participating centres and the support of the families were also valued, being considered essential for the development of young talent in the scientific field.
The event was concluded with greetings for all the participants for their effort, commitment, and interest in Chemistry.