Upcoming Competitions 

National Cyber League (NCL) Fall 2026
Gymnasium open now · Practice Game Oct. 12–18 · Individual Game Oct. 23–25 · Team Game Nov. 6–8, 2026

The National Cyber League is a learning-centered, CTF-style competition for high school and college students. Players train in the Gymnasium, then compete individually and in teams of up to seven on challenges covering OSINT, cryptography, forensics, network traffic, log analysis, web applications, password cracking, scanning, and exploitation. Every player earns a Scouting Report that maps skills for internships and hiring. Regular registration is open through October 9 ($45); late registration runs October 10–13.

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National Cyber League Fall 2026 cybersecurity CTF competition official logo
MinneMUDAC 2026 Student Data Science Challenge
October 17, 2026 · St. Catherine University, Saint Paul, Minnesota

MinneAnalytics and the Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition invite undergraduate and graduate teams to tackle a real client problem—this year, food insecurity with The Food Group. Teams of up to five students plus a faculty advisor analyze the data for about a month, then pitch their models to industry judges on October 17. Divisions include Graduate, Undergraduate, and Novice, with cash prizes for analytic acumen, serendipitous discovery, and overall prediction. Colleges outside Minnesota are welcome; travel lodging may be available for teams coming two hours or more.

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MinneMUDAC 2026 student data science challenge St. Catherine University Saint Paul
CyberPatriot 19 (2026–2027)
Team registration through October 1, 2026 · Round 1 Oct. 22–25 · National Finals March 12–16, 2027

CyberPatriot is the Air & Space Forces Association’s National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, the largest K–12 cyber defense contest in the United States. Middle and high school teams harden virtual networks across scored weekend rounds from October through the state round in December, with semifinals in January and National Finals in March 2027. Open, All Service, and Middle School divisions give Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota schools a clear path into hands-on systems administration and cybersecurity. Teams must be created by October 1 and competitor rosters completed by October 21.

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CyberPatriot 19 2026-2027 National Youth Cyber Defense Competition official artwork
ICPC Mid-Central North America Regional 2026–2027
Saturday, October 31, 2026 · Illinois (including Greater Chicago), Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee

The International Collegiate Programming Contest Mid-Central regional is the algorithmic programming qualifier for Illinois colleges, including the Greater Chicago area. Teams of three full-time students race the clock to solve as many problems as they can; regional finalists advance toward the North America Championship and World Finals. Coaches register teams through ICPC Global. Registration open and deadline dates will be posted on the official regional site when they are confirmed.

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ICPC Mid-Central North America regional programming contest 2026 Illinois
ICPC North Central North America Regional 2026–2027
Saturday, November 7, 2026 · Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and neighboring states · Registration ends November 2

The North Central ICPC regional welcomes collegiate programming teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Three-student teams compete on-site to solve real-world algorithmic problems under pressure. Top regional teams advance to the North America Championship. Recent North Central finalists have included University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota squads.

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ICPC North Central North America regional programming contest 2026 Wisconsin Minnesota
CSAW 2026 Cybersecurity Games
November 12–14, 2026 · NYU Tandon School of Engineering and global partner sites

CSAW (see-SAW) is the world’s largest student-run cybersecurity games series, now in its 23rd year. High school through doctoral students compete in capture-the-flag and other applied security challenges hosted by NYU Tandon and partner universities. The 2026 in-person games run November 12–14, with an entry-level jeopardy CTF that historically opens with a September qualifying round. Midwest students can compete online in quals and watch the official site for finalist notifications.

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CSAW 2026 cybersecurity games and capture the flag NYU Tandon
CyberForce Competition 2026
November 13–14, 2026 · Tinley Park Convention Center, Tinley Park, Illinois

The U.S. Department of Energy’s CyberForce Competition brings collegiate blue teams to the Chicago suburbs to defend simulated energy infrastructure. Up to 100 teams of 4–6 students from the same university work a realistic critical-infrastructure scenario built by DOE national laboratories. Rolling acceptances opened July 20, 2026, with student registration running through the end of September. Volunteer roles (red, green, scoring, logistics) are also posted on the official 2026 competition page.

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DOE CyberForce Competition 2026 Tinley Park Illinois critical infrastructure cybersecurity
Iowa State University Cyber Defense Challenges 2026–2027
Community College CDC Dec. 4–5, 2026 · International CDC Feb. 6, 2027 · Ames, Iowa

Iowa State hosts live blue-team cyber defense challenges in Coover Hall, where teams build and defend a network against a professional red team from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The Community College CDC is open to community colleges in Iowa and surrounding states—including Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The International CDC on February 6, 2027 is open to schools in Iowa and neighboring states as well as international partners. Scenarios drop about four weeks before each event; contact [email protected] to field a team.

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Iowa State University Cyber Defense Challenges 2026-2027 Ames Iowa
USACO 2025–2026 Season
2025–2026 season contests completed; watch usaco.org for 2026–2027 dates

The USA Computing Olympiad is the top-tier U.S. high school algorithmic programming contest, with Bronze through Platinum divisions. The 2025–2026 season used three online contests plus a proctored US Open; training camp and IOI selection followed in spring and summer 2026. Official 2026–2027 contest windows have not yet been posted. Midwest students should check usaco.org for the next season’s December-through-spring schedule.

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USACO USA Computing Olympiad programming competition
Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC)
National program; Midwest regional includes Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota schools

CCDC is the premier team-based collegiate cyber defense competition: students operate and defend a live business network while a professional red team attacks. The Midwest regional (MWCCDC) draws two- and four-year schools from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The 2026 Midwest regional was hosted at Purdue University Northwest in March; 2026–2027 regional dates have not been announced yet. Watch nationalccdc.org and the Midwest CCDC organizers for the next season’s qualifier and regional schedule.

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Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition CCDC Midwest regional cyber defense
SANS NetWars
Upcoming tournaments through late 2026, including Network Security (Sept. 21–26) and Cyber Defense Initiative (Dec. 14–19)

NetWars is SANS Institute’s hands-on cyber range tournament, with Core and DFIR tracks run at training events and online. Core NetWars now includes AI security challenges and is the path to the invitation-only Tournament of Champions. Standalone registration is available at many events even if you are not taking a SANS course. Check the official upcoming-tournament calendar for Core, DFIR, and invite-only North America sessions.

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SANS NetWars hands-on cybersecurity tournament challenge platform
Black Hat USA 2026
August 1–6, 2026 · Las Vegas, Nevada

Black Hat USA is one of the security industry’s flagship briefings and training weeks, with Arsenal tool demos and on-site challenge events alongside the conference program. The 2026 U.S. edition ran August 1–6 in Las Vegas. Midwest practitioners who missed this year can use the official US-26 site for archives and watch Black Hat for the next U.S. edition.

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Black Hat USA 2026 Las Vegas cybersecurity conference competitions
DEF CON 34
August 6–9, 2026 · Las Vegas, Nevada

DEF CON is one of the world’s largest hacking conferences, packed with contests, capture-the-flag, lockpicking, hardware, and hands-on villages. DEF CON 34 ran August 6–9, 2026 in Las Vegas. Official 35 dates are not posted yet; follow defcon.org for contest CFPs and the next conference cycle.

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DEF CON 34 Las Vegas hacking security conference capture the flag

Contact: [email protected]