MBL Balkans 2023

The first edition of Maths Beyond Limits Balkans took place on 25.03.-03.04.2023. in Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, there were 42 participants and 18 tutors from 20 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Spain, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, and Ukraine.

Every regular day, there were three 90-minute-long blocks of Mathematical Classes. They were devoted to mathematical concepts outside the high school curriculum. During every block,there were three lecture sessions to choose from, each concerning a different mathematical field. Classes were followed by an hour-long TAU, short for Time Academic Unscheduled, that was designated for the students to work on problems independently or with the help of tutors. Another regular mathematical event was Camper Talks, i.e. 30-minute-long presentations were given by some participants on mathematics-related topics they were interested in. Maths was not the only thing the camp was about, therefore, the hard work was followed by the Evening Activities. They were fun, challenging, educational, or thought-provoking. 

Since this was the first time that MBL left Poland, special days were packed with trips around Bosnia. Students visited the historical centre of Konjic and Tito’s bunker during the first special day and had a blast touring Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and learning more about Bosnian culture during the second special day. 

Participants also got a chance to talk about careers, universities and olympiads with tutors and organisers during the Questions Evening Café, but also to hear about the experiences of some of the most successful regional mathematicians, and many other successful people from local and international business during the Panel discussion on the last day of the Camp. This year the traditional Pub-Quiz was organised, but also 1 vs. MBL, a super fun spinoff of the show 1 vs. 100. Together with the sponsor Jane Street we also ran the Estimathon™, which was a team-based contest that combined trivia, game theory, and mathematical thinking. Moreover, the participants were able to improve their problem-solving skills thanks to Relays (a team competition in which teams receive the next problem after correctly solving the previous one) and Team Problem Solving.

Everyone also had a lot of fun together during the Karaoke night and Dernek – which is named after a traditional dance party in Bosnia. All these little things contributed to making MBL Balkans 2023 such a great, inspiring and unforgettable camp.