The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) CyberFirst Girls Competition which aims to support girls interested in a career in cyber security will once again be running the CyberFirst Girls Competition in 2020 and the Registration opens on the 2nd December 2019.
To encourage and recognize participation from all parts of the UK, the online qualifier round will now be 10 days and a semi-final round has been introduced.
ELIGIBILITY
The competition is aimed at Year 8 girls in England and Wales, Year 9 in Northern Ireland and S2 in Scotland.
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.
Semi-finals has been introduced into the CyberFirst Girls competition in 2020 – here’s what it means for competing schools
How will my team qualify to be a Regional champion?
By taking part in the qualifying round a proportionate percentage of top scoring schools from Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and 5 English regions will be invited to attend a regional semi-final where they will compete against schools from their region to win a place in the Grand Final.
Semi-finals will be held in: Scotland ,Wales ,Northern Ireland ,North of England, Midlands, South West, South East, London.
Irrespective of how many venues there are in each region, there will only be one winner from each.
When will I know if my team has got to the semi-final?
Schools will be notified no later than Friday 24th January giving the schools two weeks to make the necessary arrangements.
Due to the very quick turnaround of this semi-final phase we require the schools to inform the parents of the girls attending the semi-final as soon as possible.
It is up to the school to either assign a team guardian from the school to escort the girls and attend on the day or hand over the responsibility to the parents for the semi-final event only. To minimise disruption to the school week we have decided to hold the semi-final on Saturday 8th February.
Any supporting paperwork, directions and permissions slips pertaining to the semi-final will be attached to your notification email.
Where will the semi-final be held?
The semi-final venues have all been offered by industry or government – all of whom are exceptionally keen to ensure the girls have an amazing experience.
We have tried to ensure the venues cover as wider area as possible to minimise travel for schools where possible.
We will endeavour to allocate you a venue closest to your location. A list of venue areas will be published nearer the time.
What will the semi-final look like?
The semi-final round will have the same look and feel as the qualifier round and is made up of individual online challenges.
These challenges will be written by our industry colleagues and will have an industry flavour of cyber security in their field. A schedule of the semi-final day will be published nearer the time.
Will my school be funded to attend the semi-final?
Unfortunately, due to the number of semi-finalists we will not be able to fund any travel to the semi-final events.
What equipment will the girls need to attend the semi-final?
On this occasion teams will be asked (unless stated otherwise in their semi-final instructions) to bring along either a laptop or tablet from home or school. Not all venues are able to supply IT equipment.
Will the girls and team guardians get lunch on the day?
Venues have been asked to supply refreshments during the day for all participants and their team guardians. Lunch will NOT be provided so teams and guardians are requested to bring their own lunch unless otherwise stated in their semi-final instructions.
What you need to know
- Teams are made up of up to four female students in Year 8, S2 or Year 9 (NI).
- Teams need to be supported by a responsible adult appointed by the school who is aged over 18 years and who can act as the team guardian.
- Team guardians do not need to have any cyber knowledge or 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 will be self-funded by the school.
- The Grand Final will be fully funded by the NCSC.
CyberFirst Girls Competition 2020
- Registration opens on the 2 December 2019
- Qualifier round 13-22 January 2020
- Semi Final 8 February 2020
- Grand Final 15/16 March 2020
For more Information: Visit the website for CyberFirst Girls Competition 2020 challenge
