Registration for the 2020 CyberFirst Girls Competition opens on Monday 2^nd December.

The Competition, run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), aims to support girls from across the UK interested in a career in cyber security, and is open in Scotland to girls from S2 through their schools.

The contest is free to enter; participants form teams and take on a series of online puzzles and challenges related to cyber security. The content for each category of the competition is consistent with subjects within the Computer Science syllabus from both the National Curriculum and Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence. However, the competition will contain some advanced cyber topics that are not covered in traditional education, but will seek to stretch the lateral thinking and additional cyber knowledge of the teams.

Important Information

teams are made up of up to 4 female students in S2
teams need to be supported by a responsible adult, appointed by the school, who is aged over 18 years old and who can act as the team guardian
team guardians do not need to have any cyber knowledge, be an IT or computer science teacher; their role is to register the teams and facilitate access to the competition
schools can enter as many teams as they like if they fit the qualifying criteria (see above)
the semi-final round is self-funded by the school
the Grand Final is fully funded by the NCSC

The highest scoring teams from the opening round will go through to the semi-finals, taking place on Saturday 8^th February in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and in the North, Midlands, South West, and South East regions of England, and in London. The Grand Final takes place on Sunday 15^th March and Monday 16^th March in Wales.

The NCSC, part of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), launched the competition in 2017 with the aim of developing the next generation of cyber security professionals and encouraging more women to consider a future career in the industry.

For further information, including how to register a team and the history of the Competition, please visit the NCSC website.