NCPC - 2026
NCPC is a programming competition for coders of all experience levels taking place on Saturday, 3rd of October. Being new to programming is no issue! The competition is held in teams of up to 3 individuals, and during the contest, you and your team will tackle fun and challenging problems. In the middle of the contest, we'll treat all participants with free pizza 🍕 and a T-shirt, and a couple weeks after the contest, you'll be able to pick up another free NCPC T-shirt 👕! If you perform exceptionally well, you may get the opportunity to advance and compete in Northwestern Europe and later at the World Championships. However, remember, the primary goal is to have fun!
I want to join, what should I do?
- Find up to two individuals to compete with (if you don't wish to compete alone, which is perfectly okay!)
- Register yourself and your team on ICPC's website by the 2nd of October.
- Fill in our participant form, especially if you want your free T-shirt!
Details
The day will kick off with an introductory presentation at 09:15 in Ada Lovelace. To find Ada Lovelace, enter the B-building, entrance 27, and head straight towards CYD Poolen. There, we will provide information about the competition, and our sponsors will have a moment to share some words.
The competition starts at 11:00 and is held in teams of up to three members in the university lab rooms. Each team gets access to one computer, either a personal computer or one from the university (having a LiU-ID is a requirement in this case). During the contest, we will hand out balloons to teams for each problem solved, and around 13:00, we'll serve pizza. The competition concludes at 16:00.
Once the competition concludes, we'll reconvene in Ada Lovelace for a brief closing presentation.
The members of the top two teams will also have the opportunity to travel to Karlsruhe, Germany, to represent LiU and compete in NWERC. Last year, we managed to secure sponsorship from LiU to cover travel and accommodation, but unfortunately, this is not something we can offer at this time. We have the mandate to send up to two teams, and the winners will have the freedom to decide in which configuration they wish to go. If given the chance, we highly recommend it! It's an event where you meet incredible people and are warmly welcomed. It's a weekend to remember!
If you have questions, contact Otto Roming (@dou2ble) or Markus Hård (@majjus) on Discord, or send an email to vordf@lithekod.se.
Schedule (3rd of October 2026)
- 10:15 - Introductory presentation in Ada Lovelace (entrance 27 to the B-building)
- 11:00 - Competition begins!
- Around 13:00 - Free lunch
- 16:00 - Competition concludes
- 16:15 - Closing presentation
Rules
- Teams consist of up to three members who are Swedish citizens or have an affiliation with Linköping University.
- The competition takes place onsite only.
- Your team may only use one computer during the contest (a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor). Either a personal computer or one in the lab rooms.
- Your team MAY NOT:
- Use additional electronic devices to compete.
- Code using generative AI (GitHub Copilot, Claude, etc.).
- Communicate with anyone other than the organizers or your team members.
- Your team MAY:
- Bring printed materials (books, documents, etc.).
- Use pre-written code and other software on your computer that doesn't violate the aforementioned rules (so no GitHub Copilot, Claude, etc.).
A comprehensive set of rules can be found on NCPC's website.
NWERC Qualification Criteria
Progress to NWERC is only available to teams who are eligible for ICPC. This means the participants:
- Haven't participated in NCPC or equivalent in five different years.
- Haven't participated in ICPC in two different years.
- Meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Started studying at a university or its equivalent in 2022 or later.
- Were born in 2003 or later.
Last updated: 2026-10-02