Jakarta took home a haul of gold medals at the National Science Olympiad, which ended late Friday in the North Sumatra capital of Medan, with Central Java and Banten provinces ranked second and third respectively.
Jakarta won 20 gold, 29 silver and 41 bronze medals in the Olympiad, which included maths, chemistry and economics.
Central Java students brought home 14 gold and Banten nine.
The host, North Sumatra, ranked ninth, bringing home one gold, four silver and 10 bronze medals. Last year, the province ranked seventh, taking three gold medals.
Sixth-grader Bella Dodiva won a gold medal in mathematics at the elementary school level, said she could not believe that she won. The maths test, she said, was difficult but she promised to study harder so she could win in international competitions.
"I'm so happy. I never expected I could win the gold medal as the competition is stiff and the tests are hard," she told The Jakarta Post after accepting her medal.
The National Education Ministry has promised to provide scholarships to school and university students, who perform well in international competitions to ensure capable students have access to high-quality education.
Deputy National Education Minister Fasli Jalal said the scholarships aimed to motivate students to perform well.
Some 1,565 students - from special to elementary and senior high schools from the country's 33 provinces, took part in the event, which was closed by North Sumatra Deputy Governor Gatot Pudjonugroho.
The next event is scheduled to be held in North Sulawesi next year.
In a closing statement, National Education Ministry's Director General for Basic to Middle Level Education, Suyanto, said he hoped the event would improve the commitment to better quality education in the country.
