Students pose with certificates at the felicitation programme in Patna on Sunday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Two students from Bihar on Sunday received scholarship of Rs 1 lakh each for winning national-level cyber competitions.

Kumar Abhishek, a Class XII student of St Michael’s High School, Patna, and Rishav Raj, a Class VII student of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Purnea, had bagged the first positions in different categories of the National Cyber Olympiad in February.

They were felicitated at a programme on Sunday hosted by Science Olympiad Foundation — which also organised the national competition — at Rabindra Parishad.

Besides the two of them, Bhavya Gautam, a Class VIII student of St Joseph’s Convent High School, Patna, and Satya Prakash, a Class IX student of St Michael’s High School, Patna, also won scholarships of Rs 50,000 each.

Gautam had come second in the International English Olympiad. Prakash had clinched the second position in the National Science Olympiad.

The winners were elated with their achievements.

“I had worked hard for this competition. I read many books on computers in details. My hard work has paid off,” said Abhishek.

Asked what he plans to do with the scholarship money, the young achiever said: “I shall spend some of it to buy new books. The rest I shall save up for future education.”

“Galileo and Newton invented new principles of science only because they questioned physical phenomena. They used to ask themselves the reason behind everything. My only suggestion to students is that they should cultivate the habit of questioning,” he said.

New Delhi-based non-profit organisation Science Olympiad Foundation organises the National Cyber Olympiad, the National Science Olympiad, the International Mathematics Olympiad and the International English Olympiad every year with an aim to develop the spirit of competitiveness among students. Participants in each competition have to take written tests in two rounds, where they have to answer multiple-choice questions. Only those who reach the top 500 or top 10 in their school or clinch the first position in their class in the first round, qualify for the second round.

Rajan Marwaha, the director of corporate communication of Science Olympiad Foundation, said: “In the 2011-12, more than 20,000 from over 1,000 cities took part in the Olympiads.”

The organisation also felicitated teachers and principals for professional achievements. Sunil Kumar, a teacher of DAV Public School, Begusarai, Rameshwar Kumar, a teacher of DAV Public School, Gaya, K.K. Rohtagi, a teacher of Don Bosco Academy, Patna, and others were honoured.

IIT-Patna director Anil Bhowmick and Veer Kunwar Singh University, Ara, vice-chancellor Kumaresh Prasad Singh were guests at the event. Chief guest Justice Navneeti Prasad Singh of Patna High Court encouraged the students to ask questions.