Competitions & events

Imperial Hackathon - October

Imperial College London, in collaboration with HK Science Park, run a Hackathon in HK for Secondary students.

Hosted by Hong Kong Science Technology Park (HKSTP) in Hong Kong for an exciting Hackathon event to collaborate with like-minded individuals and make a real impact. 

Why Join?

  • Showcase Talents: Tackle real-world problems and showcase their solutions to the world! Learn from Leading Experts: Gain invaluable mentorship from Imperial’s Dyson School of Design Engineering faculty and industry leaders (e.g. Cathay Pacific & Google).
  • Boost Their University Applications: This is a valuable Super-Curricular Activity (SCA) that can showcase students’ skills and passion to selective UK universities. By participating, they’ll develop academic skillsets that will strengthen their university applications.
  • Win Big Prizes: Compete for fantastic prizes and recognitions from Imperial College London.
  • Network & Connect: Build lasting relationships with other passionate students from Hong Kong and beyond!

Ready to Participate?

  • Form a Team: Gather your friends or classmates and register for the Hackathon.
  • Submit Your Application: Fill out the application form below and tell us about your team’s interests, skills, and innovative ideas.
  • Applications open beginning of September
  • Website: https://www.imperialhackathonhk.com/

Hong Kong Olympiad in Informatics - November

Started in 1997, Hong Kong Olympiad in Informatics (HKOI) is a prestigious annual programming competition for secondary school students, focusing on algorithmic problem-solving and programming skills, and serving as the preliminary selection contest for the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) Hong Kong team.

Website: https://hkoi.org/en/hkoi/

  • STC team selection starts in September. Make sure you have registered your interest with me early as we typically have more students wanting to participate than places available (in which case we run a an internal shortlisting test).

Hong Kong Girls’ Olympiad in Infomatics - November

Hong Kong Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (HKGOI) is an annual programming competition specifically designed for female secondary school students, promoting their participation and excellence in computer science, and serving as the preliminary selection contest for the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI) Hong Kong team.

Website: https://hkoi.org/en/hkgoi/

  • STC team selection starts in September. Make sure you have registered your interest with me early as we typically have more students wanting to participate than places available (in which case we run a an internal shortlisting test).

ESF Co Co - Typically November

Organized by current ESF students to encourage and influence student interest in computer science from a young age. Renowned Industry leaders and institutes host interactive workshops and deliver informative talks to invoke your interest and passion for technology and computing. Additionally, a large-scale Hackathon will challenge your creativity and innovation.

Advent of code - December

For those who are a little nerdy and enjoy pushing your limits with programming, it is a lot of fun - a highlight of the calendar I look forward to every year.

There are 25 days of programming puzzles, 2 each day from 1 December to 25 December. Problems are released at 1:00pm Hong Kong time.

The puzzles start straight-forward and then get more complex as the days progress. There are no prizes, just bragging rights. I normally don’t do the puzzle until the evening, giving you a head-start of a few hours each day to have the chance to beat your teacher that day!

Join the internal STC competition leaderboard with this code on the website: 1219353-dde8b797

VEX HK regionals - January

More information coming soon

MIT EWB (Engineering without borders) Science & Engineering competition - January

Perse Coding Team Challenge - January & March

Round 1: Monday 27 January – Friday 7 February 2025 (for pairs (or solo, if necessary) sharing one computer) Round 2: Monday 10 March – Friday 21 March 2025 (three students to participate together, maximum of two Years 10-11 students allowed per team)

Code Hers - March

An annual event for girls interested in exploring STEM and Computer Science. A collaboration of 11 schools within Hong Kong with over 300 attendees at both the 2025 and 2024 events.

I made an infographic that outlines the case for girls-only events in Computer Science.

CIS HK Hacks - March/April

Annual event by Chinese International School that STC often supports.

A fun event to showcase your coding skills, develop an entrepreneurial mind, network with other tech enthusiasts, and potentially win prizes! We welcome individuals of different skill sets and backgrounds to build projects that solve an assigned problem within a time frame.

Coding Quest - March

Monday 3 March to Friday 14 March, 2025

https://codingquest.io/

Coding Quest is an annual competition specifically for secondary students to showcase their knowledge and understanding of algorithm design, data structures and computational thinking. There are no prizes, just bragging rights. Coding Quest exists mostly for students to compete against themselves. Last year there were 760 students from 97 schools who participated. Previous problems remain open on the website to try.

Hong Kong Secondary Schools Coding Challenge - July

The HKSSCC is an individual competition in a similar form to the international olympiad informatics (IOI) contest. Cash prizes available.

Copyright © Paul Baumgarten.