On 13 April 2024, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) successfully concluded its annual Programming Contest. The event was hosted by the School of Data Science (SDS), with co-organisation from the Information Technology Services Office (ITSO), the Communications and Public Relations Office (CPRO), and the CUHK-Shenzhen Programming Contest Training Team. This year's competition saw the participation of 380 contestants, including undergraduates, postgraduates, and primary and secondary school students. In addition to participants from CUHK-Shenzhen, the contest also attracted competitors from four Hong Kong universities, one Guangzhou university, five Shenzhen universities, and seven Shenzhen primary and secondary schools. This edition marked the first time the contest welcomed external participants, expanding from university students to include younger contestants. The competition aims to provide a platform for students passionate about programming to showcase their innovation, analytical, and problem-solving skills, promoting learning and research through competition. The goal is to enhance students' abilities in algorithm design, logical reasoning, and practical programming skills across all age groups.

The contest also serves as a selection and training ground for future participants in the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) and the China Collegiate Programming Contest (CCPC). Through this competition, participants were not only afforded a valuable opportunity to refine their coding prowess and expand their academic knowledge, but also to nurture a heightened sense of innovation, ingenuity, and creative aptitude. Coaches and parents from various Shenzhen primary and secondary schools were also invited to observe, share experiences, and learn about the university's and the faculty's commitment to cultivating talent in the field of computer science.

The award ceremony was attended by Jim Jiangang Dai, Dean of the School of Data Science at CUHK-Shenzhen; Professor Wei-Chung Hsu from the School of Data Science; Linchun Sun, General Manager of BOPU Technologies; Songmeng Li, General Manager of Huawei Shenzhen Public and Private Sector Development Department (Education and Healthcare); Weilun Rao and Hangrui Zhou from Xinyoudui in Hangzhou; Ye Cong, Head of the University’s Shenzhen Admissions Group; and several coaches from participating schools.

Competition Results

The contest featured two divisions: DIV-1 and DIV-2, with approximately two-thirds of the participants in DIV-1. The competition awarded champions, runners-up, and third-place winners in both divisions, as well as numerous other prizes. In DIV-1, Yohandi, Jiaoyang Mo, and Zihao Fang won the champion, runner-up, and third place, respectively. In DIV-2, Yufan Xiang, Zirong Zeng, and Xiaohu Hu won the first prize. Some of the prizes were sponsored by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. The champions, runners-up, and third-place winners in DIV-1 received Huawei smartphones, tablets, and speakers, respectively. The top three in DIV-2 received Huawei earphones.