Brain Bee Syria 2026
Syria’s first national neuroscience competition, in numbers.
- 83students sat the exam
- 8governorates across Syria
- 60+schools represented
- 5countries our students tested from
BBSY · Year One
From eight governorates, and beyond
With students also sitting from abroad, including Turkey, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
- Latakia27
- Aleppo14
- Rif Dimashq11
- Damascus7
- Hama6
- Homs6
- Tartous3
- As-Suwayda1
Who competed
Girls led the way
More than two thirds of the students who sat Syria’s first Brain Bee were girls.
Female 68%Male 32%
Mostly 16-year-olds
Nearly half of our competitors were 16.
Two languages, one exam
We ran two parallel papers so that no student would be held back by language.
The National Final
Three stages, from 83 students to one national champion.
Qualifying Round
83 students
Bootcamp
15 students · 10 days
National Final
Over 2 days · in English
The Brain Bee Syria Bootcamp
The top 15 students from the first stage were selected for an intensive online bootcamp covering neuroanatomy, cellular neuroscience, neurohistology, cognition and more, which prepared them for the national final.
Four rounds
- MCQ ExamTheory and advanced concepts of neuroscience.
- NeuroanatomyOne-to-one interviews testing knowledge of brain structures, using models and images.
- Patient DiagnosisOne-to-one interviews to test knowledge on analysing symptoms and clinical results to identify the disorder.
- NeurohistologyOne-to-one interviews identifying neurological cell structures from models and images.
One national winner goes on to represent Syria at the International Brain Bee.
What we achieved in 2026
- Syria’s first national neuroscience competition83 students from 8 governorates, 60+ schools and 5 countries, with parallel papers in Arabic and English.
- Two translation agreementsSigned with the British Neuroscience Association and the Society for Neuroscience to translate their reference books into Arabic and share them free of charge.
- A free textbook in ArabicOur Arabic translation of Neuroscience: Science of the Brain is now free to download, with Brain Facts on the way.
- Bootcamp and national final10 days of online training for the top 15, followed by a two-day national final across four rounds.
- Our first national championMahmoud will be the first student ever to represent Syria at the International Brain Bee.
Brain Bee Syria began with the idea that Syrian students deserve the chance to explore neuroscience in depth and to represent their country at the International Brain Bee. In 2026, eighty-three of them took part in the first Brain Bee Syria. We extend our thanks and gratitude to every student who studied, every parent who encouraged, and every volunteer who gave their time.
— The Brain Bee Syria Team