Comiso, a student from Verga, at the national final of the Italian astronomy championships

Prestigious result for the “G. Verga” Comprehensive Institute of Comiso: student Filippo Barone, a pupil in the third grade of the lower secondary school, has qualified for the finals of the 2026 Italian Astronomy Championships.

The event, one of the most challenging scientific competitions in the national school landscape, is promoted by the Italian Astronomical Society and the National Institute of Astrophysics, with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Education and Merit.

Professor Kentia Barone managed the registration of the institute and the participating students, guiding them through the preparation stages.

At the start, there were about 10,000 students from schools all over Italy; after the pre-selection on December 18, 2025, in the Junior 1 category, only 363 competitors were admitted to the interregional event, including three representatives from the IC “G. Verga” of Comiso: Filippo Barone, Alesia Mamoci, and Elena Rimmaudo.

The interregional test took place on February 24, 2026 at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Catania.

The selection was extremely rigorous: the top 27 students nationally in the Junior 1 category earned access to the final, scheduled in Monza from April 27 to 29. The winners will receive the Margherita Hack gold medal and a special mention from the MIM. Furthermore, in accordance with the regulations of the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, at the end of the event, the Italian Team that will participate in the IOAA 2026 finals, the world championship of astronomy, will be defined.

Satisfaction from the school principal, Professor Maria Cafiso: “Congratulations to Professor Kentia Barone, the students, and the talented Filippo Barone, immense pride for the entire community of the ‘Verga’ comprehensive institute. This is an extraordinary result for the three students admitted to the interregional competition, for the student admitted to the final competition, and for the entire ‘Verga’ comprehensive institute of Comiso, which confirms itself as a school capable of developing its students' scientific skills to the fullest.”

The “Giovanni Verga” thus reaffirms its vocation for excellence, looking to the future through engaging and highly complex activities, such as the Italian Astronomy Championships.