2026 UK Chemistry Olympiad Success

Published by Concord College on Monday 27th of April 2026

Concord chemistry students have been celebrating their success in round one of the Royal Society of Chemistry 58th annual UK Chemistry Olympiad; a prestigious competition that pushes students to think creatively, solve challenging problems and apply their knowledge to interesting, real-world scenarios.

Round one took place on 28th January 2026 with a record 17,241 students taking part in total. At Concord, 66 students completed the highly challenging paper, with a remarkable 91% achieving an award.

Nationally, 36.5% of participants achieved a bronze award, 25.7% a silver and 8.5% a gold. However, at Concord, 47% achieved a bronze award, 27% a silver and 17% a gold. This is even more impressive considering that the paper is aimed at 6.2 students and most of the participants from Concord were in 6.1.