The PCO has been held for high school students from grades 8 to 11 at the Faculty of Chemistry under the Moscow State University since 2020.
In the qualifying round, candidates took theoretical exams held in localities. In the final round, they took a practical session during which, each contestant was asked to propose an optimal solution to solve a specific problem. After reporting the solutions to the Board of Examiners, candidates carry out the project in the laboratory in two 4-hour sessions to turn the project into reality.
Contestants may only use chemicals prescribed by the organising committee.
This year is the first time Vietnamese students have participated in the PCO with four entering the final round, namely Ha Thanh Nhan, Ngo Chau Hoang, Le Huynh Anh Quy from Le Quy Don High School for Gifted Students in Da Nang, and Le Minh Duc from the High School for Gifted Students at the Hanoi University of Sciences under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
In 2024, nearly 1,500 students in Russia participated in the PCO qualifying round. In addition, the contest saw the participation of students from Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Brazil, and Vietnam in its qualifying round but only the Vietnamese contestants entered the final round.
