Europe’s largest on-site coding contest just tore down its own platform.
Key takeaways
- After nearly two decades, Cloudflight is completely rebuilding the infrastructure of its Coding Contest, which has been running since 2007.
- The previously separate systems for training and registration are being merged into a single platform for the entire competition.
- The relaunch establishes the CCC as a permanent community that extends beyond the annual contest.
Registration for the 42nd Cloudflight Coding Contest, 23 October 2026, is open. This year’s edition will be hosted on an entirely new platform that brings registration and competition together for the first time.
MUNICH / VIENNA, 21 September 2026
Today, Cloudflight opened registration for the 42nd Cloudflight Coding Contest (CCC) on a completely rebuilt contest platform. The new platform replaces the separate practice and registration environments—a setup that has carried the contest since it grew from a single Austrian event in 2007 into one of Europe’s largest programming competitions, with almost 5,000 participants per edition across more than 40 locations worldwide.
The 42nd edition takes place on Friday, 23 October 2026, simultaneously on-site and online. Participants compete in three tracks: School for pupils aged 16 and over, Classic for students and professionals, and Data/AI for those who would rather train a model than write an algorithm. All programming languages are permitted; participants compete solo or in teams.
The rebuilt platform consolidates what were previously two separate systems. Coders can now practice with past editions’ games, register for a location, compete, and track their full contest history through a single account. Crucially, all existing accounts and past results are carried over.
Platform upgrades also translate to the games themselves. They enable more creative and unique designs, while also improving the overall user experience with instant, detailed feedback instead of generic error messages.
A magic wand is nothing without the magician. The same is true for AI. For nearly 20 years, CCC has stood for the belief that good technology needs people who understand it and can work with it. AI doesn’t change that, because the more powerful the tools become, the more important technical understanding, sound judgment, and the ability to take responsibility become.
Austria has a real edge in technical education through its HTL schools. I went to one myself, and I know how important it is not just to learn technology in theory, but to try it out and apply it in real challenges. That’s exactly what the CCC has offered for nearly 20 years. The fact that we’re now taking it to the next technical level fits a community that’s constantly evolving.
The 41st edition, held on 14 November 2025, brought together 4,753 participants from 10 countries at 42 on-site locations and online, from Germany and Austria to Tanzania and India. Contest tasks remain secret, even for Cloudflight staff themselves, until the competition begins.
Registration is open now at codingcontest.org. Locations are added continuously and typically reach capacity ahead of the contest date.
About the Cloudflight Coding Contest
The CCC is one of the largest hybrid on-site and online coding competitions. Since 2007 it has grown into a community of around 5,000 coders competing in each edition at more than 40 locations worldwide. In Austria, the School track is recommended by the Ministry of Education.
About Cloudflight
Cloudflight is a leading full-service partner for agentic transformation. The company offers strategic consulting, custom software development, and cloud solutions with a focus on e-commerce, IoT, artificial intelligence, and cloud-native application development. Cloudflight helps clients across Europe turn innovation into practice and deliver measurable business value.
With more than 800 employees (380 of them in Austria) across 17 locations in Europe (Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Romania, and Poland), Cloudflight combines strategic consulting, data and AI expertise, and modern software engineering. The company supports clients in industries such as manufacturing, retail, logistics, energy, financial services, and the public sector — from initial concept through development to the operation of digital solutions.
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