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City of Bonn

Bonn student wins International Philosophy Olympiad

Jesko Veenema, a high school graduate from Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium in Bonn, wins the gold medal at the "International Philosophy Olympiad 2024" in Helsinki with his essay.

Jesko Veenema, a high school graduate from Nicolaus Cusanus Gymnasium, won the gold medal at the Philosophy Olympiad in Helskinki. The picture shows him at the award ceremony there with representatives of the Finnish IPO organizing committee.

The Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium from Bad Godesberg has an Olympic gold medal winner among its students: Jesko Veenema, 19 years old and who has just passed his school-leaving exams, won first place at the International Philosophy Olympiad 2024 (IPO) in Helsinki. He was one of two representatives to compete for Germany. He had already successfully qualified for the international competition by coming first in the state and national philosophy essay competition.

Jesko Veenema held his own against 110 participating students from 52 countries and impressed the jury with his essay. The participants had four hours to write their essay. There was no opportunity to prepare. Only four quotations were given as a topic. Veenema chose Moses Maimonides - the Jewish jurist, philosopher and doctor is considered one of the most important scholars of the Middle Ages. Veenema's essay entitled "Passing through the Kingdom of Darkness" can be read  here (opens in a new tab). As a further challenge, the essay must be written in German, English, French or Spanish. However, the chosen language must not be the native or official language of the country of origin.

"I am impressed by this achievement and would like to congratulate Jesko Veenema and the Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium on this success. Having such a committed and interested student in our ranks certainly makes us proud and I am delighted for Jesko and the school community," says Bonn's Head of School Carolin Krause.

Jesko Veenema was also successful at the IPO last year. In 2023, he won the bronze medal in Greece. A few days ago, Jesko Veenema also took the oral Abitur exam. He passed with 15 points in philosophy, the highest grade. With his Abitur in his pocket, he would like to study philosophy.

The International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO) was founded in 1993 by committed school and university teachers in Bulgaria. Since then, it has steadily developed into a force for international dialog between philosophy teachers and students. Since 2001, the IPO has been supported by the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie (FISP) and UNESCO. Further information on the competition and this year's results can be found at  https://ipo2024.org/results.html. (opens in a new tab)