The best websites for coding challenges and competitions: Aspiring programmers often begin their journey by diving into programming and competitive coding to challenge themselves and improve their skills. To achieve this, one must take part in coding challenges and competitions. Every coder faces choosing the right website for coding challenges and competitions. Which website is the best for coding competitions? What are the benefits of attending competitive coding competitions? These are common questions at the beginning of a coder’s journey.
This article answers your questions and lists the best websites for coding challenges and competitions. If you’re starting to code, check out this article for a complete guide on the websites you can use for coding challenges and competitions.
15 Best websites for coding challenges and competitions
Here we list some of the best websites for coding challenges and competitions 2023.
1. The ACM-ICPC International Collegiate Programming Competitions
The International Collegiate Programming Contest is a programming contest for college students focusing on algorithms. In this competition, university teams of three collaborate to solve real-world problems. They focus on fostering creativity, innovation, and the ability to perform under pressure. Teams push each other to new heights through training and competition. It’s the oldest, biggest, and most prestigious programming contest in the world. Here are some exciting stats about ACM-ICPC;
1. It is in 80 countries.
2. Contest registration in India usually begins in August.
3. In India, the regionals usually take place in December.
4. The winner of the world finals gets a $15,000 award, and each continental champion also receives awards. You can win prizes for being the first person to solve a problem.
2. Google Kick Start
Google Kick Start is an online coding competition that happens worldwide. It consists of three-hour rounds where participants solve algorithmic challenges created by Google engineers. You can join online rounds yearly to compete and improve your programming skills. It’s a chance to see what it takes to work at Google. Here are some key facts about Google Kick Start;
1. Eight coding rounds are done online.
2. The winner receives money as a prize.
3. Google may invite top participants for interviews.
3. Google Code Jam
It is a coding competition hosted by Google. It’s a worldwide event where programmers can demonstrate their coding skills. Google Coding Jam is an exciting event for code lovers. It’s a unique platform where programmers compete against each other and the clock to showcase their coding skills. The winner of Google Code Jam receives a prestigious title and a cash prize of $15,000.
The Google Coding Jam has multiple rounds and a final called Code Jam World. In each round, contestants face challenging algorithmic problems. They must pass all the preliminary rounds to reach the final stage. Only 25 coding wizards make it to the end game and compete for the champion’s title.
4. Google Hash Code
Hash Code is a global programming competition organized by Google for students and professionals. You choose your team and programming language, and we will provide an engineering problem for you. The contest starts with a Qualification Round. Your team can compete virtually from anywhere, along with your virtual Hub. The best teams will be invited to compete in our online World Finals. Here are some facts about Google Hash Code;
1. Registration typically begins in February.
2. The winners receive a cash prize of $4000.
5. The ICFP Programming Competitions
The International Conference on Functional Programming (ICFP) has been happening every year since 1998. The competition is a challenging three-day programming event that is free to enter. Enthusiasts can join from anywhere and there are no restrictions on team size. The team has 72 hours to finish their entry and submit it online. The goal of this competition is to highlight the participants’ favorite programming languages and tools. This is a great programming competition to apply for.
6. Facebook Hacker Cup
Hacker Cup is Facebook’s yearly programming competition open to participants worldwide. It is a popular programming competition to apply for. Coding competitions are all about problem-solving and coding skills. Participants go through online rounds each year, and if they make it to the global finals, they can win the grand prize. Here are some facts about the Facebook Hacker Cup;
1. There are 4 online rounds: Qualification, Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3. There is also one final round that takes place onsite.
2. All 25 finalists receive cash prizes.
3. It is among the best websites for coding challenges and competitions 2023.
7. Microsoft Imagine Cup
The Microsoft Imagine Cup is held every year. The program allows participants to work on real-world problems submitted by NGOs, IGOs, and nonprofit organizations as part of the Imagine Cup project. Coding competitions and programming competitions are held to encourage coding with a purpose, leading to the creation of new solutions. Here are some key facts about the Microsoft Imagine Cup;
1. To qualify, you need to be 16 years old and currently enrolled as a student.
2. Students can join a team with up to 4 people.
3. Global finalists will receive cash prizes and other benefits such as training and mentorship from experts.
4. Additionally, there are three regional finals.
8. Codeforces Coding Competitions
Codeforces is a website for hosting competitive programming competitions. It’s a viral website with exciting features. It is a popular programming competition to apply for. The polygon feature allows users to create and test problems, as well as engage in social networking through internal public blogs. Participants are ranked according to their ratings.
Codeforces is excellent website for coding challenges and competitions because they have regular contests, with about 6 monthly contests. Participating in the contests is free and open to everyone.
Codeforces provides a variety of coding challenges and features.
1. Short format Contests with a duration of 2 hours.
2. Conduct educational contests that last 2-2.5 hours, 2-4 times a month.
3. You can also challenge or hack the solutions of other contestants.
4. You can solve problems from past contests to help you learn.
9. CodeChef Coding Competitions
CodeChef holds programming competitions every month. They have a big one at the beginning and two smaller ones in the middle and at the end of the month. It also provides algorithm tutorials and forum discussions to make your computer programming journey easier. It is like the best websites for coding challenges and competitions free 2023.
CodeChef hosts four types of contests.
1. The Starters
2. The Long Challenge
3. The Cook-Off
4. Lunchtime
10. Topcoder Coding Competitions
Topcoder is a company that brings together developers, designers, data scientists, and competitive programmers from all over the world through crowdsourcing. Coding competitions are held twice a year, both online and offline. Participants worldwide take challenges from top brands like Google, IBM, and eBay. Additionally, they organize weekly online matches to help participants gain experience and improve their performance in the competition. You can consider it among the best websites for coding challenges and competitions 2023.
11. Atcoder Coding Competitions
AtCoder is a Japanese programming contest website. Starting this weekend, AtCoder will be hosting an international programming competition where problem statements will be available in both English and Japanese.
At AtCoder, there are three official contest types;
1. The AtCoder Grand Contest (AGC)
This contest is our best. The problems will be unique and require exciting observations.
2. The AtCoder Regular Contest (ARC)
The problems may not be as challenging as AGC problems, but most of you will still find them enjoyable and valuable for practice.
3. The AtCoder Beginner Contest (ABC)
It is for beginners in competitive programming. The problems will be simple and informative.
12. HackerEarth
HackerEarth is a software company based in San Francisco, US and similar to other best websites for coding challenges and competitions on this list. They offer enterprise software to assist organizations with their technical hiring requirements. Organizations use HackerEarth for technical skill assessment and remote video interviewing.
You can find all the challenges organized by HackerEarth on the Challenges Page. The challenges can be divided into categories. Monthly programming contests are held regularly. They currently have three monthly contests that vary in difficulty level. On the 1st of every month, starting at 21:30 IST (16:00 UTC), there is an event that lasts for 2 hours and 30 minutes until midnight.
The website provides challenging tasks that are particularly suitable for experienced programmers. They organize coding challenges and hackathons every month. Code Monk, a popular challenge among programmers, is relatively well-known. HackerEarth works with top companies like ThoughtWorks, Amazon, Accenture, Walmart Labs, IBM, and Intuit.
13. HackerRank
HackerRank is a coding platform where you can practice coding problems and participate in challenges. It offers hackathons, coding challenges, and hiring tests for companies. You can earn badges on HackerRank by completing challenges, which will be displayed on your profile. It is a popular programming competition to apply for.
14. Leetcode
Leetcode is a big tech community with millions of active users and among the best websites for coding challenges and competitions on our list. The platform provides weekly and biweekly programming competitions for participants. LeetCode also provides discussions for job interview preparation. The website holds contests for 90 minutes. You can solve challenges in their online editor, also known as the playground, using any of the supported programming languages.
15. SPOJ
The SPOJ platform has an online judge system that automatically assesses user-submitted programs. SPOJ is among the best websites for coding challenges and competitions, Some key features include:
1. The platform supports over 45 programming languages and compilers, including C, C++, Pascal, JAVA, C#, Perl, Python, Ruby, Haskell, Ocaml, and even esoteric languages.
2. There are around 13,000 tasks available for practice 24/7 in English, Polish, Vietnamese, Portuguese, and other languages. These tasks cover a wide range of topics and include original ones created by experts in the field.
3. The testing system is flexible and allows for dynamic interaction with submitted programs. It also provides a highly customizable output of assessment results.
4. The browser-based content management system is intuitive and easy to use. Users can quickly set up their contests in just a few minutes. They can also take advantage of the tasks already available in the system.
5. As of 2012, there were over 2400 contests available. These contests varied in length and format, from quick challenges to longer e-learning courses.
Final Words
In addition to the popular coding websites mentioned above, there are other widely used websites for coding practice and challenges. Some examples include Khan Academy, LintCode, and many more.