Exceptional participation this year with 104 teams representing universities from across Ireland and the UK

Last Saturday, University College Cork hosted another hugely successful edition of the ACM Ireland Collegiate Programming Contest (IrlCPC), welcoming a record 256 participants from across Ireland and the UK. The annual competition has become one of the most anticipated events in the academic computing calendar, bringing together talented students to compete in a fast-paced environment that celebrates innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence.

Now firmly established as a flagship programming competition, IrlCPC continues to showcase the remarkable depth of computing talent emerging from universities and schools alike. Competitors took part in both Senior and Junior tracks, tackling a demanding series of algorithmic and computational challenges designed to test problem-solving ability, teamwork and creativity under pressure.

The competition was co-organised with the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics in UCC, under the leadership of Dr Andrea Visentin and Dr Chrys Ngwa. The event was hosted by the School of Computer Science & Information Technology, University College Cork, whose facilities provided the perfect setting for a full day of intense competition and collaboration. Head of School Prof Dirk Pesch was also present to present trophies to the winning teams.

Strong Participation from Universities

Participation this year was exceptional, with 104 teams representing universities from across Ireland and the UK. UCC led the way with 33 teams, reflecting the strong engagement of its student community with the competition. Other universities also showed impressive participation, including UL (17 teams), MTU (12 teams), DCU (10 teams), and both University of Galway and UCD with nine teams each.

The competition also attracted teams from outside Ireland, including the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bath, highlighting the growing reputation of IrlCPC as a regional hub for programming excellence.

Celebrating the Winners

After an intense day of coding, collaboration, and problem-solving, the top teams emerged as worthy champions:

A Pathway to International Competition

Beyond the excitement of the day itself, the Junior Track plays an important role in Ireland’s international programming pipeline. The competition helps identify and select members of Team Ireland, who will go on to represent the country at prestigious global competitions such as the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Uzbekistan and the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI) in Bologna, Italy.

For many students, participation in IrlCPC marks the beginning of a journey into competitive programming, research, and careers in technology.

In order of merit, the top junior competitors from the following secondary schools

1. Coláiste Pobail Bheanntrai, Bantry, Co Cork.
2. Castleknock College, Dublin
3. Lumen Christi College, Derry
4. Kinsale Community School, Co Cork
5. Cistercian College, Roscrea
6. The Royal School, Armagh
7. Drogheda Grammar School, Co Louth.

Industry Engagement and Support

The success of this year’s event was made possible through the generous support of industry partners including Cadence Design Systems, NetApp, Keelvar, NGINX, and Google. Representatives from each company delivered engaging talks and spent time networking with participants, sharing valuable insights into career opportunities across the technology sector.

Special thanks also go to CloudCIX, which provided the infrastructure powering the competition environment, and to IGNITE UCC, who joined the event to speak with students about entrepreneurship and startup opportunities.

Building Ireland’s Future Technology Talent

For the Insight Centre, supporting initiatives like IrlCPC is part of a broader commitment to nurturing Ireland’s digital talent pipeline and strengthening connections between academia, research, and industry. By bringing together students, researchers, and leading technology companies, the competition creates a unique environment where emerging talent can challenge themselves while connecting with the wider tech ecosystem.

With participation numbers continuing to grow year after year, IrlCPC has firmly established itself as a flagship event for programming excellence in Ireland.

And if this year’s record-breaking competition is anything to go by, the future of Irish computing talent looks brighter than ever.

Already looking forward to IrlCPC 2027.