Ayşe Naz Kara, a 17-year-old high school student from Türkiye’s southern province of Hatay, has been crowned world champion in Natural Sciences at the prestigious International Copernicus Olympiad, earning the title of “Absolute Winner” at the global finals held in Houston from Jan. 21 to 26.
A student at a private high school, Kara achieved a flawless score in the first stage of her categoryi answering every question correctly. Her outstanding performance secured her a full $2,000 scholarship to compete in the world finals in the United States, organized in cooperation with NASA and Rice University.
During the finals, Kara attended lectures delivered by NASA professors before advancing to the decisive round at Rice University, where she outperformed competitors from around the globe.
She was awarded her gold medal by NASA professor Kumar Krishen and unfurled the Turkish flag on stage in a moment of pride.
Following the competition, she also received an offer of a letter of recommendation from a NASA professor to support her future university applications.
Despite participating in the finals on a full scholarship, Kara independently secured sponsorships to cover her travel expenses.
She previously represented Türkiye as a member of the national team at the International Olympiad in AI in China, contributing to the country’s 23rd-place ranking among 80 nations.
Describing the Copernicus questions as the most challenging she has ever encountered, Kara said winning the world title was both “astonishing and indescribable.”
Kara is also one of 14 young leaders selected from Türkiye by UNICEF. Actively engaged in international congresses and social initiatives, she has provided voluntary training to over 1,500 young people under the “Equalize the Future” project.
