Four Brazilian students brought home gold medals from the Latin American Astronomy Olympiad, held in Asunción, Paraguay. Three of the gold medalists come from Fortaleza, in the northeastern state of Ceará, and one comes from São Paulo. Maria Beatriz Ximenes, also from Ceará, received an honorable mention.
The competition ran from the 1st and closed on Monday the 9th. Its format combined individual and team theory exams with practical tasks. Students worked in a planetarium, carried out telescope observations, and built and launched a rocket. Organizers say the olympiad is meant to foster cooperation among young people across the region, and the Brazilian delegation was recognized for it with two additional prizes: best delegation and most sportsmanlike team.
Access to the Brazilian selection process is competitive. Candidates need a minimum score on the previous year's Brazilian Astronomy Olympiad (OBA), set at 7 for high school students and 9 for students in grade 9. From the pool of 45 trainees, the selection reserves places for girls, first-year students, and students from public schools. The final selection names five students for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), five for the Latin American Olympiad (OLAA), and five alternates.