American University Kyiv Congratulates the Winners of the Smart Challenge 2026!
At American University Kyiv, we recently hosted a special award ceremony to honor the winners of the Smart Challenge 2026 – a competition that opens the way to world-class quality education for the most talented youth of Ukraine. We are incredibly proud of all the participants and are thrilled to officially announce this year's winners!
Grants with full coverage of the cost of tuition for bachelor's programs in Kyiv were awarded to:
1. Yaroslav Lysytsia
2. Demian Potapenko
3. Yaroslav Tverdokhlib
Grants for study at AUK Dnipro Campus were awarded to:
1. Roman Skliarenko
2. Maryna Bondar
3. Kateryna Stratii
The winners of the Kyiv campus were personally congratulated by AUK President Dan Rice and AUK Rector Jacek Leśkow, PhD.
"We are delighted to welcome the students who achieved the highest results in the all-Ukrainian Smart Challenge competition. This victory is a testament to your talent, hard work, and outstanding academic dedication. We truly believe that AUK will become your alma mater, where you will hone your skills to become the future professionals who will rebuild and strengthen our country!" said Dan Rice during the ceremony.
"As the rector and a person who directly evaluated the participants’ work, I am deeply impressed by the high level of preparation and analytical thinking of Ukrainian school graduates. Despite these challenging times, you continue to learn, strive, and win. In the era of AI, it is truly inspiring to see such brilliant creativity and out-of-the-box thinking in our future students!" noted Jacek Leśkow, PhD.
We want to thank all the participants for their high motivation, diligence, and exceptional performance!
A special heartfelt thank you to our reliable partner – Edyna School! We incredibly appreciate your comprehensive support, professionalism, and shared belief in the potential of Ukrainian youth.
Congratulations to the winners and look forward to meeting you at American University Kyiv this fall!
