The International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) is the oldest, largest, and most prestigious programming contest in the world. Competing in ICPC contests involves teams of three students solving complex algorithmic problems within a strict time limit. It’s an intense, fast-paced challenge that demands sharp coding and problem-solving skills. Success relies on teamwork, as participants must collaborate effectively under pressure.
Interested students will follow a sequence of contests in the ICPC which culminate in the ICPC World Finals. Here’s a general outline of the progression:
Local Qualifier: The journey begins with a local selection contest which will be held in Princeton in the Fall (more details to be announced soon). You will be able to participate as a team or individually in this contest and 5 teams will be selected to represent Princeton at the next stage.
Greater New York Regional Contest: The selected teams then advance to the regional contest. This will be held on Sunday, November 10 at Columbia University. Here is the contest website from last year. The top ~5 teams (this varies slightly every year) will qualify for the next stage, but only one per university (so if teams from Princeton place first and second overall, only the first team will advance).
North American Championship: If successful at the regional level, a team will qualify for the North American Championship, which will happen at some point at the end of the Spring semester. This event brings together top teams from across North America for a highly competitive contest, where the first ~18 teams (this varies slightly every year) will qualify for the next stage. Here is the contest website.
ICPC World Finals: The World Finals is the pinnacle of ICPC competitions, featuring elite teams from around the world. It’s a global gathering of top student programmers. The date for next year’s world finals is yet to be announced. Here is the contest website (which currently contains information about the 2024 edition, for which teams qualified this past year).
For some statistics on Princeton past performances on the ICPC check out the ACM page (the FAQ section of this link is out of date!).
ACM Student Chapter of Princeton, Inc