Competitive Programming Challenges
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Imagine Cup
The Imagine Cup is one of the best-known computer science competitions for high schoolers. The competition is run by Microsoft, and, each year, students around the world compete in it. Students work in teams of up to three members to design a tech solution to a social, environmental, or health problem. The project must include a Microsoft Azure component and "take into consideration diversity, inclusion, and accessibility."
Eligibility requirements: Must be 16 or older
Prizes: Each winning team is awarded $100,000, as well as mentorship from Microsoft experts and grant money.
Congressional App Challenge
This computer science competition is designed to both encourage more students to study STEM and coding as well as connect them to their congressional representatives. Individual students or groups of up to four design an app. The app can be created using any programming language and platform, and it can be on any theme or topic. Each app is judged by congressional district, and the winners are judged nationally. New coders are encouraged to participate, and roughly 44% of competitors described themselves as beginning coders.
Eligibility requirements: Must be a middle or high school student in a participating congressional district
Prizes: Winning apps are eligible to be displayed in the US Capitol Building and featured on the House of Representatives' website. Winners are also invited to attend a reception on Capitol Hill and may be awarded additional sponsor prizes.CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Program
The US Air Force created CyberPatriot to inspire students to pursue careers in cybersecurity or other STEM fields. The National Youth Cyber Defense Program gives teams of 2-6 students assignments similar to those new IT professionals would receive. Teams work through online competition rounds where they must find and fix cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Top teams receive an all-expense-paid trip to the in-person National Finals Competition in Maryland where they compete for scholarship money.
Eligibility requirements: Middle school students, high school students, and students in JROTC programs each have their own division.
Prizes: Scholarship money (award amount varies)
American Computer Science League
ACSL hosts one of the oldest computer science competitions in the world. To compete, your school has to have registered and paid the registration fee. Before the competition, the coach teaches coding with a focus on ACSL exam categories. Then, students work in teams of 3 or 5 students to complete four tests. Students can code in Python 3, Java 8, or C++ as defined on the programming platform. Top-scoring teams advance to regional, statewide, and eventually global competitions.
Eligibility requirements: Elementary, middle, and high school students (worldwide) whose schools have registered for the competition.
Prizes: Winners of the ACSL All-Star Contest receive prizes (amount not disclosed).
International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI)
One of the world's most prestigious computer science competitions, IOI is open to secondary school students around the world. Each country sends a group of four students (who compete individually) to the two-day international competition. American students must win the USACO competition (see below) to be chosen to participate. IOI participants must know how to program (particularly in C++), be able to understand and implement algorithms, and have strong problem solving skills.
Eligibility requirements: Secondary school students who win their national competition.
Prizes: Some countries award monetary prizes to their competitors, but IOI officially only gives medals to the winners. However, the real prize is being able to put "IOI winner" on your college application, which will give you a shoo-in to most top STEM college programs.USA Computing Olympiad (USACO)
This well-known and well-regarded competition tests skills in areas such as algorithmic programming problems that can be solved using various programming languages. Students compete in three online contests, plus a national "US Open" competition. From these results, the top 24 or so scorers are invited to a training camp in the early summer, hosted at Clemson University. At the end of the camp, the top four participants are invited to attend the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI).
Eligibility requirements: Must be a middle school or high school student in the US
Prizes: Top four participants go on to compete at IOI (see above).
Zero Robotics
For this competition, teams of 5-20 students write programs to control hypothetical robotic satellites aboard the International Space Station. Students will be able to control the satellite speed, rotation, direction of travel, and more. They'll use programming to get their satellites to complete obstacles while conserving fuel. There are several virtual competitions, and the finalists of those rounds are invited to compete in a live challenge overseen by an astronaut aboard the ISS.
Eligibility requirements: Open to students in grades 9-12 in the US or member state of the European Space Agency
Prizes: No cash awards
For More Info Please Checkout Their Website
RoboRAVE
RoboRAVE is a computer science competition for students interested in both programming and robotics. Teams of 2-4 players (plus a coach) design, build, and program a robot capable of completing different tasks such as extinguishing candles, placing flags atop a steep incline, and traversing an elevated maze. RoboRAVE prides itself on being an open competition, and teams can compete from anywhere while using any kind of robot (that they built) and any type of programming software. It's a great option for students who are interested in robotics but don't yet have a ton of skills in the area, as they emphasize building computer science and robotics programming skills.
Eligibility requirements: High school division is for students 14-18 years old, although there are other age group divisions available as well.
Prizes: No cash awards
For More Info Please Checkout Their Website
Technovation Challenge
The Technovation Challenge is designed to get more girls interested in coding and computer science. Girls work in teams of 1-5 and with volunteer mentors to use technology to design an app that helps solve real world problems such as climate change, bullying, and hunger. Both novices and girls with strong backgrounds in computer science can participate, as the competition is designed to help girls build their tech skills.
Eligibility requirements: Must identify as female and be between 10 and 18 years old.
Prizes: Prizes and scholarships up to $2,000
For More Info Please Checkout Their Website
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