Sferum launches “Olympiads” service listing school competitions
In short
The educational platform Sferum launched a new service called “Olympiads”, which collects information about competitions for schoolchildren by subject and field. It is available in the “Services” tab of the Sferum space in the Max messenger, with registration details for each event. The first listed events include a national AI olympiad from Russia's Education Ministry, road-safety and Russian language competitions from Uchi.ru, and the programming olympiad “Tekhnokubok” from MIPT, Bauman Moscow State Technical University and VK.
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Sferum, the Russian educational platform, has launched a new service called “Olympiads” that collects information about current competitions for schoolchildren across different subjects and fields. CNews, citing VK representatives, and iXBT reported that the tool can be found in the “Services” tab of the Sferum educational space in the Max messenger and works as a mini-app. Habr News also reported the launch, citing the company's press service. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to CNews and iXBT, the service presents information about each olympiad together with the conditions for participation and registration deadlines. First listed events include the national AI olympiad from Russia's Ministry of Education, the “Safe Roads” and Russian language and culture olympiads from Uchi.ru, and “Tekhnokubok”, a programming olympiad organised by MIPT, Bauman Moscow State Technical University and VK. CNews said the service is meant to consolidate information about key events for schoolchildren in one place in a mini-app format. [ 1 , 3 ]
Irina Shvartsman, head of Sferum, said in CNews that the service is “one of the tools teachers most expect” and helps users find educational competitions for pupils of different age categories “in two clicks”. She said the platform is working on new functionality as part of a strategy to develop as a platform of useful services for education, built around supporting teachers, parents and children. [ 1 ]
CNews and iXBT recalled that Sferum had earlier launched “Napominatel”, a useful-notifications service. Teachers use it for administrative tasks such as filling in journals and reports, collecting consents, holding meetings and reminding about duties, assemblies or clubs, and about 10% of users also use it for reminders to themselves. iXBT added that since 2025 Sferum has been integrated into the national messenger Max, where it develops a set of services for participants in the education process. [ 1 , 3 ]
The documents do not say how many olympiads the service will ultimately list, whether access is free, or where the launch was announced. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The launch adds a competition-discovery tool to a platform already used by teachers, parents and pupils in Russia, and follows Sferum's stated strategy of becoming a platform of useful services for education. Because the service is built into the Max messenger, it also extends the reach of Max inside schools. The documents give no figures on how many pupils or schools the new service will reach.
Key facts
- Sferum launched a service called “Olympiads” that gathers information about current competitions for schoolchildren by subject and field. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The service is available in the “Services” tab of the Sferum educational space in the Max messenger. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The mini-app lists each olympiad and the conditions for participation and registration deadlines. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Among the first events are the national AI olympiad from Russia's Ministry of Education, the “Safe Roads” and Russian language and culture competitions from Uchi.ru, and the programming olympiad “Tekhnokubok” from MIPT, Bauman Moscow State Technical University and VK. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Sferum earlier launched a useful-notifications service called “Napominatel” for administrative and teaching tasks. [ 1 , 3 ]
- About 10% of users also use “Napominatel” for reminders to themselves, according to the reports. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Since 2025 Sferum has been integrated into the national messenger Max, where it develops a set of services for participants in the education process. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Sferum launched a new service called “Olympiads”. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The service collects information about olympiads for schoolchildren and is accessible inside Sferum in the Max messenger. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The first listed events include an AI olympiad from the Ministry of Education, Uchi.ru competitions and the “Tekhnokubok” programming olympiad. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- How many olympiads in total are listed in the service, and whether it covers all school subjects and age groups. The documents name only the first available events and do not state a total.
- Whether the service is free of charge and available to all Sferum users. The documents describe the service but do not mention pricing or access limits.
- Where the launch was announced or which city it relates to. The documents do not name a location, and the platform is described as an online service.