Team from Russia Wins World's Largest and Most Prestigious Collegiate Programming Competition

2016 ACM-ICPC "Battle of the Brains" Tested Skills and Endurance under Pressure

NEW YORK, May 19, 2016 – St. Petersburg State University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Harvard University and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology were the top medal winners in the 2016 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), which concluded May 19 in Thailand. The top 2016 ACM-ICPC winners were students from St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

ACM-ICPC, the premier global competition for programming, aims to recognize the best and the brightest young programmers from universities around the world. The global competition is conceived, operated and shepherded by ACM, sponsored by IBM and headquartered at Baylor University. As the world’s largest, oldest and most prestigious programming contest, ACM-ICPC attracts and unites a diverse group of young coding participants in competition. Teams from nearly 3,000 universities from 102 countries competed for the top prizes.

“As computer science gains greater importance across many sectors in society, we need to work towards encouraging innovation,” said ACM President Alexander L. Wolf. “Through this competition, we give students the opportunity to gain valuable experience by applying their skills in challenging scenarios; work with mentors to hone those skills; and make connections for a lifetime. We also believe that the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest can act as a springboard for students to launch successful careers.”

The 2016 ACM-ICPC World Finals is a culmination of a multi-tiered competition composed of:

Local Contests: where universities hold contests to select teams that will represent them

Regional Contests: this year more than 40,000 contestants from more than 2,700 universities and 102 countries on six continents competed at 481 sites to advance to the World Finals

World Finals: hosted this year by Prince of Songkla University in Phuket, Thailand, 128 teams across six continents competed for top positions

The 2016 ACM-ICPC World Finals pits teams of three university students against 13 complex problems and a demanding five-hour deadline. St. Petersburg State University successfully solved 11 problems to earn first place. Contestants tackle an array of computing challenges requiring significant analysis, planning, collaboration, creative coding and an ability to innovate under grueling time pressure to solve the complex problems.

Full results of the competition are available here.

About the ACM-ICPC

Headquartered at Baylor University, the ACM-ICPC is a global competition among the world's university students, nurturing new generations of talent in the science and art of information technology. For more information about the ACM-ICPC, including downloadable high resolution photographs and videos, visit ICPC headquarters and ICPCNews. Additional information can be found via the "Battle of the Brains" podcast series. Follow the contest on Twitter @ICPCNews.

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.