Matjaz Zeljko, Slovenia

Matjaz Zeljko is an academic researcher currently employed in the IT department of the faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.

He has been active in mathematics competitions as well as academic competitions in many other areas, both in his native Slovenia and internationally, for decades. Among other things, he was Deputy Leader for Slovenia at the IMO in the years 1993-2003 and 2005.

Most outstandingly, he has been responsible for the development and implementation of unique groundbreaking software and technology for mathematics competitions for nearly twenty years. As the main IT coordinator for the International Mathematical Olympiad, the International Mathematical Kangaroo and various national Slovenian competitions, including the national Olympiad and the Slovenian Kangaroo, the technological solutions he developed have become irreplaceable in the competition scene.

Matjaz Zeljko has gradually extended his IMO software over the years, and this has considerably simplified the process of hosting the event. His rapid response to the pandemic crisis was critical, developing the software to allow remote co-ordination, accepting and processing data from up to 137 exam centers, and allowing language support for translation work (which had to be done within a short window just before each exam). Without his work, it would not have been possible to run IMO 2020 and IMO 2021.

His contribution to the world of Mathematics Competitions over the last decades is unique.

Professor Zeljko receives his Award at the WFNMC Mini-conference, Sydney, Australia, om 06 July, 2024, from Chairman of the Awards Committee, Kiril Bankov, left and WFNMC President Robert Geretschlaeger, centre.