Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) hosted the 5th annual Qatar Collegiate Programming Competition (QCPC).
The competition set a new record for participation, attracting a total of 114 teams, comprising 349 students and coaches from universities and high schools in Doha.
After the end of an intense and competitive weekend, the CMU-Q’s Thang Bui-Nguyen, George Chkhaidze and Dilshodbek Khujaev took the top spot in the university track, solving an impressive 11 problems out of 13.
In the high school track, Aditya Menon and Yash Sah from DPS Monarch International School were the top team, with six problems solved.
It was an extraordinary showing from the high school students, whose results matched those of the second and third ranked teams in the university track.
CMU-Q dean Michael Trick expressed delight at seeing the enthusiasm for programming among the youth of Qatar.
"Programming competitions are about more than a single event ... they are about building a community around creative problem solving," he said. "It is extraordinary to see so many students here who are passionate about programming."
Giselle Reis, area head for computer science at the CMU-Q and a co-organiser of the competition, said: "Each year, the students improve and the the QCPC becomes more competitive.
"We are simply delighted to see so much programming talent at both the high school and university levels in Qatar," she said.
The QCPC is the only national programming competition in Qatar.
The two-day competition challenges students to answer complex programming questions using their programming skills.
The QCPC is part of the International Collegiate Programming Competition, the oldest and most prestigious competition worldwide.
The Qatar Collegiate Programming Contest provides university and high school students with the opportunity to demonstrate their programming and problem-solving skills.
