Gymnasium Olympians from across the country found out their prizes on Sunday at the national stage of the “Romanian Culture and Spirituality” Olympiad, held in Slatina. For the 8th grade graduates who won first place, the stakes of the competition were huge: they obtained the right to be admitted to high school directly, without taking the National Assessment exam. From amazing stories of students who wanted to quit this year and finished in first place, to students who collect averages of 10, “Adevărul” presents you the exciting atmosphere in the amphitheater of the “Radu Greceanu” National College and the complete list of the big winners.
The National Interdisciplinary Olympiad of “Romanian Culture and Spirituality” – Romanian Language and Literature and Religion (OCSR) for grades V-VIII was held in Slatina, between May 14-17, 2026, under the patronage of the Episcopate of Slatina and Romanians and with the support of the Olt County School Inspectorate.
On Sunday, the more than 100 students, accompanied by teachers, but also many parents, waited with emotion in the amphitheater of the National College “Radu Greceanu” Slatina, the host of the event, to find out what prizes they will go home with. Although the scores were made public the day before, the place on the podium remained a surprise for many until the moment they heard their name.
Two distinct disciplines brought together in a single Olympiad
“Romanian culture and spirituality” is an Olympiad that was originally addressed to high school students, in the form of a national interdisciplinary competition. The competition made its way into the official Olympics calendar for the first time in 2012. The great interest shown led the organizers to allow middle school students access, so that now the Olympiad is held separately for middle school and high school students.
Students prepare for this competition two exam subjects – Romanian language and literature and Religion – combined in a common test. At the gymnasium, students compete in two sections: grades V-VI – level I and grades VII-VIII – level II (and the same happens at the high school, where sections are organized for grades IX-X and XII-XII).
If at the lower stages the students have only one written test, at the national stage the competition between the best students from each county takes place in two tests – a written test and an oral test.
The written test assesses, depending on the level, the skills of reading, literary analysis, argumentation and religious and cultural knowledge. The oral test, specific to the national phase, requires the student to correlate a written text with a plastic image (work of art, icon, painting, etc.), highlighting the relationship between the two. The student draws the topic, has a few minutes to prepare his presentation, after which he argues his ideas in front of the jury.
Be impressed by Brâncoveni Monastery, where Saint Constantin Brâncoveanu spent part of his childhood
Although Olt county does not stand out as a tourist county, the students participating in the Romanian Culture and Spirituality Olympiad found an important objective here, but about which they did not know much. Filip Paul Jurje and Hanna Bordea, the students who represented Satu-Mare county, said they were delighted with the days spent in Slatina. For Filip, passionate about history, the visit to the Brâncoveni Monastery, the place where the ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu spent part of his childhood, was a real celebration.
“I really liked the Brâncoveni Monastery, to hear all the history there, about the place related to the ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu, who is newer and holy”, he said the student. They were also delighted with the activities prepared by the organizers, with the way they spent their time, making new friends. As for the prizes, he hopes for a ranking among the first. The dream of Filip, a 7th grade student, is to become a priest, and participating in the “Romanian Culture and Spirituality” Olympiad is not the first time.
“I want to become a priest and I have participated in other years in this Olympiad and in the Religion Olympiad and this is shaping me to become what I want. I have the passion for history from my grandfather”, Filip Paul Jurje also said.
Hanna, participating in the national stage for the second time, was also delighted with the visit to the monastery, but also with the activities that allowed her to make new friends. “We were able to meet children from all over the country and I hope that at the next Olympics we will meet again. I also really liked the results, I was really excited. I have a special prize, I think”, stated the student.
Their teacher, Anca Andreescu – teacher of Romanian Language and Literature at “Mihai Eminescu” National College Satu Mare, was in Slatina for the second time, two years ago participating in the National Olympiad of Romanian Language and Literature. He noted that the organization allowed the students to enjoy the time spent, beyond the effort put into the competition. “They feel like in a camp. They go home excited. The experiences were wonderful. Congratulations to the organizers!”Prof. Andreescu transmitted.
The students from Bihor also went home with pleasant memories: Iunia Pop, 5th grade student, and Claudia Pop, 8th grade student. Teacher Adriana Filip waited with emotion to find out which prize they would take home, because the girls both had very good scores: 97 points. Claudia is, by the way, the student who never misses an Olympiad, also qualifying in Mathematics and Reading.
The guests from Bihor were impressed, in addition to the very well-planned, strictly observed program, and the activities in which they were involved, by the evolution of the gags, which they had the opportunity to admire during the moment of the opening show. “They danced like that, with pathos, it was seen that they do what they do for pleasure”, remarked the teacher.
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And the winners are…
The Romanian Patriarchate announced, through the counselor present at the awards ceremony, that it offers 12 prizes to the first six ranked students from each section. The Ministry of Education, on the other hand, also provided cash prizes for 2nd, 2nd, 3rd places and mention (value of prizes – from 300 lei for mention, to 1,000 lei for 1st place). Dozens of participating students were also awarded with special prizes offered by the Olt County School Inspectorate.
Winners the first prizes are:
– Cherecheș Alexia Iuliana, “Mihai Eminescu” Gymnasium School Zalău, Sălaj county – level I;
– Andrei Ioțu, “Eugen Ionescu” High School Slatina, Olt county – level II;
Second prize:
– Chihaia Maria, Iași National College – 3rd prize, level 1;
– National College “Buzești Brothers” Craiova, Dolj county
Third prize:
– Dedu Ștefania Rebeca – “George Emil Palade” High School Buzău – level I;
– Ene Olivia Anastasia – National College “Mihai Eminescu” Buzău – level II.
Mention:
– level I – Volocadiu Sara – Vaslui “Constantin Parfene” High School;
– level I – Stroe Raisa Ioana – “Sf Andrei” Ialomița High School;
– level I – Pavel Sofia – ELF Cluj Theoretical High School;
– level II – Iordache Irina – “Ion Heliade Rădulescu” High School Bucharest;
– level II – Blănaru Maria – “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Grammar School Neamț;
– level II – Mihălcioiu Dragoș Iulian – High School no. 4 “Elena Donici Cantacuzino” Dâmbovița
– level I – Pușcașu Carina Ioana – Neamț State High School;
– level I – Dărăbană Antonia Maria – Mitruna Mureș High School;
– level I – Gheorma Irina Maria – Mircea Eliade Argeș High School;
– level I – Spiridon Andreea Nicoleta – Mircea Călărași High School;
– level I – Gheorghe Ana-Maria – High School no. 82 Bucharest;
– level II – Pop Claudia Maria – Beiuș Bihor Pedagogical High School;
– level II – Şușu Irina Ștefania – High School no. 4 Suceava;
– level II – Constantin Ilaria – National College “AI Cuza” Vrancea;
– level II – Elena Alesia – Secondary School 156 Bucharest;
– level II – Popescu Ecaterina Florina – Toplet Caraș-Severin Secondary School.
First prize in the year he wanted to quit
The best score at level II, grades VII-VIII, was obtained by Andrei Ioțu, from the “Eugen Ionescu” Secondary School in Slatina, obtaining the first prize. It is his best result at this Olympiad, which he has participated in since the 5th grade. “Maybe I expected a little bit of a prize, but not the first prize”, Andrei Ioțu declared.
The result comes in the year in which he prepared the least, because initially he wanted to give up this competition. Instead, he liked the subjects, they seemed accessible. His teacher, Mihaela Bușoi, sees him as a very good literary critic in the future. He praises her intelligence, modesty and perseverance. He says that he often surprises her with the literary texts he creates, but behind them are many hours of reading, Andrei being a passionate reader. He also plays theater, paints, and during his high school years he won several prizes at Olympiads and competitions.
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Andrei Ioțu will be able to choose to apply for admission to high school, because he is a student in the 8th grade, without having to take the National Assessment exam, thanks to the 1st place obtained. He says he hasn’t decided which profile to go for yet.
1st prize with maximum score last year, 3rd prize in 2026
Olivia Anastasia Ene, from the National College “Mihai Eminescu” Buzău, is also a student in the 8th grade, and last year she obtained, also at the Romanian Culture and Spirituality National Olympiad, 1st place, with the maximum score.
“The difficulty of the subjects is specific to the Olympiad, but I approached them with joy and wrote as well as I could and I am very, very proud of what I wrote and I think that the result I obtained certifies this. I also participated last year in the “Romanian Culture and Spirituality” and obtained the first prize with an average of 10, so the third prize comes as an even greater joy, another certification of the work. This is the sixth Olympiad in which I am participating in four years of high school,” revealed the student who also secured admission to high school without an exam.
In the past years, he qualified in the national and in Romanian language and literature (in the 5th grade, the 6th grade and the 7th grade), obtaining a special mention/prize, but also at the National Olympiad of Classical Languages - Latin.
He would like to study, after high school, at the Faculty of Law, his dream being to become a judge.
