1
Rulebook
Description and objective, team composition, format and progression, run structure and timings, permitted and prohibited actions, penalties, appeals, and definitions.
Events / Algorithm Challenge
The Doon School · 08–10 December 2026
Algorithm Challenge
Both questions are compulsory. The first 15 minutes are for flowcharts, rough sketches and planning only. Functional correctness carries 60 of the 100 marks, but optimisation counts too.
Competitive programming
Plan before you code. Then make it run.
Rules
How it runs
- Design, implement and optimise highly efficient algorithms that solve simple or complex logical problems under strict resource constraints. One participant per school, open to students in any grade; no prior competitive history is required, and no substitutions are permitted.
- Setup (5 minutes): log in to the portal, test the IDE configuration, check the keyboard layout, and run a sample “Hello World” to verify the compiler. Once compilers are verified, the questions are released and the time starts.
- A single round of two compulsory questions. Participants have 15 minutes only to make flowcharts, rough sketches or plan out their code, then a further 1 hour 15 minutes to write, test and modify it.
- Exactly one of Java, Python, C or C++ may be used. All built-in libraries are permitted, and matplotlib, pandas, numpy and scipy are allowed in Python. Computers are provided with Python IDLE, BlueJ, Code::Blocks and Dev-C++; other libraries, external environments, code editors and pre-written code snippets are prohibited.
- No AI tools are permitted, and search engines, including Google, may not be used once the round starts. Hotspot-capable devices are deposited before the competition, and no device of any kind may be used after the round begins.
- During a live run, interaction is limited to entering inputs and viewing outputs in the console; the code and environment may not be modified while it executes. A run ends when the code stops on its own or the participant declares voluntary retirement. Retries after non-logical errors are at the judges’ discretion, with no alteration of code.
- Any attempt to use search engines, AI platforms or the internet improperly, and any plagiarism, collusion or malicious submission, results in immediate disqualification. Appeals are lodged in writing by the registered participant within 15 minutes of the ruling or score.
Event details
- Discipline
- Code
- Participants
- 1 per school
- Control
- Plan, then code
- Event head
- Udayan Narayan
- Languages
- Java · Python · C · C++
- Platform
- Provided computers with Python IDLE, BlueJ, Code::Blocks and Dev-C++. No AI tools or search engines.
Judging
- Scored out of 100: 50 marks per question
- Functional correctness and execution speed are evaluated through the judging portal’s hidden test cases
- Code structure and theoretical time/space complexity are reviewed manually by the judges
- All time limits must be met strictly
- Ties: judges benchmark the tied codes on further test cases, then consider execution time and time complexity
Judging rubric
How the marks fall
| Criterion | Weight | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Functional correctness (30 per question) | 60 | |
| Algorithmic efficiency & complexity (10 per question) | 20 | |
| Code structure & documentation (10 per question) | 20 | |
| Total | 100 |
Weights are those in the event’s published documents. Scoring levels, tie-break order and who scores what are set out in full in the document pack below.
Documents
The Algorithm Challenge pack
5 of 5 documents available
These are the documents your team will receive for Algorithm Challenge. Between them they set out everything a team needs in order to prepare.
2
Platform & Environment Specification
Languages and libraries permitted, devices brought versus provided, internet access, policy on AI tools, provided datasets and platforms, submission format.
4
Judging Rubric
Criteria with point values summing to a stated total, scoring levels, tie-break order, who scores what, and when scores are published.
5
Inspection & Safety
Pre-competition inspection checklist and schedule, consequences of failed inspection, safety requirements during runs, spectator boundaries, and the emergency stop procedure.
6
Support Material
A worked example, a starter guide to core techniques, the concepts a team should learn, common mistakes, and an FAQ.
Flow
How Algorithm Challenge works, step by step
The event from start to finish, as the rules above set it out. The detailed documents for Algorithm Challenge will appear here once they are released to registered schools.
-
Setup: log in, test the IDE and run “Hello World”
-
Two compulsory questions released
-
Planning (15 minutes)
Flowcharts, rough sketches or planning out the code only.
-
Coding (1 hour 15 minutes)
Write, test and modify in one of Java, Python, C or C++.
-
Live run
Console input and output only; the code may not be changed while it executes.
-
Hidden test cases and judges’ review
Correctness and speed through the portal; structure and complexity by the judges.
-
Scored out of 100: 50 per question
Who runs it
The people behind Algorithm Challenge
Udayan Narayan
Event Head
Udayan is a Class 11 student at The Doon School pursuing the IB Diploma Programme, with a keen interest in Engineering, Robotics and Technology. A former Anchor of the IPSC IT Fest, he serves this year as the Event Head of the Algorithm Challenge. He has represented the School in table tennis at the IPSC level, and brings the same composure and strategic instinct to everything he takes on. His interests also extend to psychology and human behaviour. He is honoured to serve as the Event Head of the Algorithm Challenge at the IPSC IT Fest 2026.
Next
The Black Box
Teams audit a deliberately flawed image dataset, train a baseline model, hunt its errors on 30 unseen images, fix the data with up to 10 photos, and present their findings.