The main theme of this article centers on the international contests in Informatics. The article details the key events preceding the initiation and organization of the First International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), held in Bulgaria in 1989, and provides supporting documentation. The path, leading to this Olympiad and the events between the First National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI) and the First IOI are discussed as well. An outline of the international contests in informatics held in Sofia (1987), Bratislava (1987), Varna (1988), and Nova Gorica (1988) is offered. In the beginning of 1989, in Netherlands, UNESCO held a consultative meeting to discuss various issues related to international Olympiads. The invited participants were the leaders of the well-established International Olympiads in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. The author was invited to introduce the Olympiads in Informatics and to present the plan for the organization and inauguration of the First IOI in Bulgaria. Next the paper discusses the progress of our talented students, winners of the Bulgarian NOIs. Subsequently, a few, as university students, participated in the world’s most reputable completion -the ACM International Collegiate Contest (ACM ICPC). There is a brief presentation of the student team from Sofia University “St. Kl. Ohridski”, which participated in this contest in 1996 and placed first in Europe and fourth overall, among the 1001 teams from universities around the world. Due to its factual nature, the article contains an extensive list of references, including text excerpts, citations, photos, and other relevant materials, supporting the historical facts related to the competitions in Informatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]