Registration is open for the CyberFirst Girls Competition 2024/25, with teachers and guardians encouraged to sign up teams now.

The competition, run by GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre, is now in its ninth year, and aims to introduce girls aged 12 and 13 to cybersecurity, with the ultimate goal of increasing diversity in the industry’s UK workforce, where women currently make up just 17%.

Pupils will compete in teams of up to four across various categories, including logic and coding, networking, cybersecurity, and cryptography.

Each challenge will be consistent with subjects from the Computer Science syllabus from both the National Curriculum and Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, designed to help students develop skills needed in cyber-roles.

Last year’s contest saw the largest number of girls taking part since its inception, with over 12,500 girls from over 750 schools across the UK participating.

Winning schools can take home prizes, with Newlands Girls’ School from Berkshire winning £5,000 as the top scoring state school newcomer in 2023. Other prizes were awarded to The Tiffin Girls’ School from Surrey for being the highest scoring returning school and Oxford High School as the highest scoring team overall.

This year’s prizes include laptops, and an invitation to a special celebratory event next year. In order to win, teams must complete as many challenges as possible over the course of ten days, and are free to use search and apps to find answers. 

“The CyberFirst Girls Competition is an excellent gateway into the exciting world of cybersecurity, combining fun with challenge and providing participants the opportunity to test their skills against peers from their region,” said Chris Ensor, NCSC deputy director for cyber growth.

“Tens of thousands of girls across the country have already gained valuable experience through our competition. I highly recommend schools sign up teams for this year’s event, allowing students to explore a potential new interest. 

“The cybersecurity field offers diverse career paths, and we’ve seen past participants go on to pursue their interests and land impressive roles in the industry, helping to make the UK safe online.” 

Recommended reading

• Record Number of Girls Taking Computing A-Level
• Girls in GCSE Computing Grows 10% For Second Consecutive Year
• More Young Women Applying for Computing Degrees, New Data Shows

Taking part in cyber-based challenges is considered a good way of introducing girls to the industry at an early age, and to help them learn skills which can be carried through to later studies. 

Recent data from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT has shown an 8% rise in the number of women taking on a computing science higher education degree, with 2,940 18-year-old women in the UK opting to start a computing science degree in the 2024/2025 academic year.

The CyberFirst Girls Competition is open for registration from the 16th of September 2024, and will commence on the 18th of November 2024.