Canadian Computing Competition

The Canadian Computing Competition (CCC) is an annual programming competition for secondary school students in Canada, organized by the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing at the University of Waterloo.

The logo of the Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing.

There are two levels of problems presented, Junior and Senior, based on programming skill level. Participants are allowed to use C, C++, Python 2, Python 3, or Java programming languages, which are permitted at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). CCC questions are designed to test a student's ability to design and code algorithms rather than their knowledge of APIs or language-specific features.

Approximately 20 of the top students in the Senior division of the CCC from Canada are invited to compete at the Canadian Computing Olympiad (CCO), hosted at the University of Waterloo each spring. This event is then used to select participants for the Canadian team at the IOI, as well as the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI).

The questions in the CCC are algorithmic in nature, designed to test a student's ability to design and code algorithms rather than their knowledge of APIs or language-specific features. Stage 2 is more difficult than Stage 1, but still easier than the IOI. The problems generally have memory or time constraints, forcing the programmer to find efficient solutions to earn full marks.

The contests are also open to students from outside Canada, although they are ineligible to participate on the Canadian IOI team.

Contest Stages

Canadian Computing Olympiad (CCO)

The CCO is two days long, with four hours to do three questions each day. There are six questions, each weighted 25 points. Contestants' combined stage 1 and CCO scores are used to determine final scores for the Canadian Computing Competition. Bronze, silver, and gold medals are awarded, with each competitor receiving a medal; winners of gold medals are invited to represent the Canadian team at the IOI.

See also

• Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
• ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest
• DWITE