Reply Hack The Code Challenge 2025: A New Era of Coding and Cybersecurity Competitions

The Reply Hack The Code Challenge 2025, an annual online coding competition, is set to return on March 12th, 2025, with a twist. This year's edition will combine programming and cybersecurity challenges, offering participants a unique opportunity to test their skills in both domains. The competition, organized by Reply, a leading provider of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media, promises to be an exciting event for young coders and cybersecurity enthusiasts alike.

A New Challenge Format

The Reply Hack The Code Challenge 2025 will feature two parallel challenges: the Standard Edition, aimed at university students and professionals, and the Teen Edition, reserved for secondary school students. The competitions will consist of a series of algorithmic programming problems that participants must solve within six hours, using specific input files and adhering to predefined scoring rules. This year, a new feature has been added: cybersecurity challenges based on the Capture the Flag (CTF) model.

CTF challenges will allow participants to unlock additional input files in the categories of Miscellaneous, Crypto, and Web, providing an opportunity to earn extra points and test their skills in cybersecurity. In the Teen Edition, students will face five progressively difficult problems, with the chance to double their score by solving a bonus CTF. The best students in this edition will have the opportunity to earn two 50% scholarships for a Bachelor's Program at one of the Albert School campuses.

The Role of AI in Coding

In addition to the new cybersecurity challenges, the Reply Challenge platform will be supplemented with "Coding with AI" courses, an area dedicated to learning the potential benefits of utilising artificial intelligence within coding. This section will offer new interactive educational content, including videos, slides, and quizzes, designed to prepare participants for the competition and raise awareness of AI's increasing utilisation in the world of programming.

The problems proposed in the competition, which are of a logical-mathematical nature, can be approached with the help of AI tools, which will assist participants in analysing and optimizing solutions. However, artificial intelligence alone will not be enough to overcome these challenges, making the competition an opportunity to explore the potential of this technology as a tool to support the solving of complex problems, while also stimulating participants' analytical skills.

Registration and Prizes

Registration for the Reply Hack The Code Challenge 2025 is open from January 29th to March 11th, 2025. Teams of 1-6 members can register by choosing the category that best fits their skills and experience. While registering, participants can also join the University Students' League to compete for a Reply Arcade Game or a financial donation for a research project. High school students from 14 to 19 can discover the Code Challenge Teen edition and form their own teams or search for teammates on the Discord server.

The competition will take place on March 12th, 2025, from 15:30 to 21:30 CET. A leaderboard will be regularly updated to show how teams are performing, and unique prizes will be awarded to the winning teams. The final leaderboard and best solutions will be published one week after the challenge day.

The Reply Hack The Code Challenge 2025 promises to be an exciting and engaging event for coding and cybersecurity enthusiasts. With its innovative format, emphasis on AI, and attractive prizes, the competition is set to be a highlight of the year for young coders and cybersecurity professionals alike.