Coding competitions have grown in popularity in recent years. With more and more online organisations, as well as international corporations such as Microsoft and Google, conducting competitions, we wonder why children should participate in these. Coding competitions are the finest brain workout to practice and succeed in coding, much as examinations and quizzes encourage children to practice and enhance their knowledge.
Furthermore, the certificates are extremely useful for future university applications.Most companies, including Google and Intel, focus heavily on the engineering and programming capabilities of their employees. So, if your child or student participates in coding competitions, he is already one step ahead of his peers.
1. Indian Computing Olympiad
The Indian Computing Olympiad is a national competition held each year by IARCS- Indian Association for Research in Computing Science. The competition’s purpose is to find high school kids who have exceptional talent in algorithms and computer programming.
The Olympiad is used to choose a team of four students to represent India in the International Informatics Olympiad (IOI). IOI is one of the twelve international science olympiads held annually.
The olympiad is open for all the school students from any educational board in the country. Any student enrolled in school up to class 12 during the said academic year is eligible for participation. There is no minimum age limit.
The Indian Computing Olympiad’s first round is divided into two sections.
(i) The Zonal Informatics Olympiad (ZIO) is a written test conducted at several locations around the country.
(ii) The Zonal Computing Olympiad (ZCO) is a programming test. C, C++, Java, and Python are supported programming languages.
The Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI) is the second round, which includes programming. ,The only programming language permitted for INOI is C++ since IOI has dropped Java as an official language as of 2021. INOI selects around 30 students for the IOI Training Camp (IOITC).
2. Indian Sports Programming Championship
Amrita Indian Sports Programming Championship (ISPC) is a multi-tier competitive programming tournament that selects and trains the top skilled programmers from schools. This will prepare students to be effective problem solvers when they pursue higher education in engineering.
As artificial intelligence,machine learning, and data analytics are becoming popular in all disciplines,the demand for computer programmers with expertise in algorithms and mathematics is expanding.
The Indian Sports Programming Championship is a platform for encouraging more high school students to participate in competitive programming.The event is open to any high school student that is interested in coding and competitive programming. Participants are expected to have basic problem-solving and coding capabilities.
The contest is a team event intended to enhance the team management skills in a given period of time. All of the challenges are based on real-world scenarios. This encourages kids to think outside the box in order to enhance their problem-solving abilities.
3. Code Chef
Code Chef is a coding competition for kids that provides online challenges. Challenges can be solved using a variety of languages, including C++ and Java. Children from all around the world are welcome to participate and submit answers to the contest questions.
The great aspect of CodeChef is that it allows participants plenty of time, sometimes even days, to work on the tasks. As a result,for a beginner programmer this is the ideal competition to get your groove before going on to more challenging events.
Every month, new competition dates are announced. Anyone who can programme from elementary through high school is eligible.
4. International Scratch Olympiad
Scratch was developed by MIT, and this competition today attracts participants from over 50 nations.Medals and certificates are given to winners, and they are recognised globally.The contest requires participants to use Scratch to complete tasks such as creating games.
The theme of the game is given to the teams, and the participants must compete against other competent programmers to be the fastest and generate the best output. Elementary and middle school students aged 7 and above are eligible to participate.
5. Bebras Challenge
Bebras is a Worldwide Student Computational Thinking Challenge organised in over 60 countries that aims to get students all around the world interested in computing. The challenge is an excellent way to develop computational thinking and problem-solving abilities. And the best part is… It’s completely free!
The Bebras challenge fosters problem-solving abilities and Informatics principles such as the capability to break down difficult tasks into simpler components, algorithm design,pattern recognition,pattern generalisation,and abstraction. The challenge is carried out in schools with the use of computers or mobile devices.
6. Google Code-To-Learn
Every year,Google encourages kids from class 5th to class 12th to register for Google India code to learn competition.The major goal of this competition is to strengthen the basis for computer science in India.
Teachers, parents, or guardians of candidates may register and submit their projects by accessing the official website- Code To Learn on the dates specified. Google organises the challenge under five divisions, each with its own set of project tool requirements (Google Cloud AutoML, Scratch, and App Inventor) for different classes.
Students in grades 5 to 8 construct projects using Scratch or App Inventor, both of which are fun and innovative technologies developed by MIT.
Students in grades 9–10 can build projects using Scratch,App Inventor,or machine learning projects using Google Cloud AutoML.
Students in grades 11 and 12 work on Machine Learning projects with Google Cloud AutoML.
7. Kick Start
Kick Start provides programmers from all over the world with the opportunity to practise and polish their programming abilities through online-hosted tournament rounds.It is a global online coding competition that consists of three-hour rounds of algorithmic tasks created by Google engineers. Participants can participate in one or all of the online rounds hosted throughout the year, and they will have the chance to build and expand their programming talents while receiving a taste of the technical skills required for a job at Google(top candidates may be invited to an interview at Google). Each KickStart Round is accessible to all participants, with no pre-qualification required,so you may try your hand at one or attempt them all.
8. Code Jam
Code Jam, Google’s longest-running worldwide coding competition, challenges programmers all around the globe to solve difficult algorithmic puzzles against the time. Contestants proceed through four online-hosted rounds to compete in the annual Code Jam World Finals, which are conducted each year in a different international Google office.
Each round introduces new challenges, and in the World Finals, 25 contestants will have the ultimate opportunity to put their talents to the test, competing for cash prizes and the prestigious championship title.
9. Hash Code
Hash Code, Google’s team-based programming competition, allows you to demonstrate your abilities and interact with other programmers while working together to solve a problem patterned after a genuine Google engineering issue! Through Online Qualifications,coders from all over the world will work in small groups of two to four to solve the first challenge.
Despite the fact that this round is conducted online,teams can participate virtually side by side in locally organised Hash Code Hubs.The best teams from this round are invited to participate in the virtual World Finals.
10. Code 4 Fun
Code 4 Fun is the finest competition for young children who are just learning to code. Kids are given basic level problems to solve in order to move through the stages. Kids may create applications or games in whatever language they like. Some of the tasks are Python-specific. Anyone from anywhere in the world may join by signing up on the website and competing against groups at your level. There are no fees to pay. This competition is open all year,so you may begin at any time. Elementary school students aged 10 and above are eligible.
Practice is essential for a person to become proficient in any field. That is why your kid should take part in these coding competitions. It enables children to refine their coding abilities and work out any flaws early in their coding journey.
Stay updated upon the websites of the above coding competitions and encourage your children to participate in them. The certificates and prizes are important for admissions to prestigious schools and universities in future since they demonstrate an early interest in STEM and coding as well as devotion towards the field.