Over 5 000 learners from 159 schools nationwide entered the 2024 Programming Olympiad and 1 010 learners from 122 schools were invited to take part in the second round – 17 top achievers from 15 schools participated in the final round.

IITPSA president Pearl Pasi said the Computer Olympiad is one of the oldest and largest challenges of its kind in the world. “The Computer Olympiads have been running in South Africa for over 35 years and are aimed at developing problem solving and ICT skills among learners of all ages.

“This is in line with the IITPSA’s focus on skills development and our commitment to encouraging more young people to enter the IT industry. Our Computer Olympiad activities include the Talent Search STEM challenge for younger learners, the Computer Applications Olympiad for those who take CAT or the ICDL and the Computer Programming Olympiad for learners who have mastered a computer language. Top performers in the Programming Olympiad benefit from a chance to participate in the International Olympiad in Informatics, which will be in Bolivia next year.”

The winner of a gold medal was Noah Jacobsen in grade 11 at St John's College, Gauteng. Silver medals were awarded to Youkyum Kim in grade 10 at Reddam House Durbanville and Nico Schreuder in grade 11 at Bishops Diocesan College in the Western Cape.

Bronze medals were awarded to Ruan Schoeman in grade 12 at Homeschool Midrand, Erik Senekal in grade 10 at Hoërskool Menlopark and Yian Xu in grade 10 at Redhill High in Gauteng.

Honourable mentions went to David Eyal in grade 11 at the International School of Cape Town, Caleb Jennings in grade 12 at Treverton College in KwaZulu-Natal, Yu Qing Peng in grade 10 at SAHETI School in Gauteng and Roelof Rossouw in grade 11 at Michaelhouse in KwaZulu-Natal.

Congratulating the winners, Pasi noted participation in the Computer Olympiad activities helped learners develop problem-solving skills and explore possible career directions. “It’s a great opportunity for learners to develop digital skills to prepare them for the workplace. Participation is free and we encourage schools to register for 2025.” To learn more and register schools, visit https://olympiad.org.za/

This year’s Computer Olympiad activities were sponsored by Jane Street and SoftwareOne Experts South Africa.