Russian, Japanese and Chinese Universities Take Top Spots in ACM International Programming Contest

ACM Salutes International Students for Solving Real-World Problems with Critical Computing Skills

NEW YORK – May 21, 2015 – At the finals of the 2015 ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC), St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics placed first, the only competitor to solve all the problems to win the contest.  Second place went to Moscow State University, followed by the University of Tokyo in third place.  Two Chinese universities, Tsinghua and Peking, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.  In sixth place was the University of California, Berkeley.  The competition pits teams of three university students against 13 complex, real-world problems and a demanding five-hour deadline.  It showcases the analytical and coding skills of the contenders from 128 teams competing in the final round. 

"The ACM ICPC competitors have demonstrated an extraordinary level of creativity and teamwork in solving extremely difficult programming problems," said ACM President Alexander Wolf, who attended the event in Marrakesh. "The remarkable caliber of this year’s students reflects the success of their institutions in providing a stimulating and creative environment for developing the critical skills that drive innovation on a global scale.  We applaud the efforts of all participants who took on this challenge."

Other top 12 medal finishers included the University of Zagreb, Charles University in Prague, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.    Earlier rounds of the competition included a record number of more than 38,000 contestants representing over 2,500 universities from 101 countries.  The top four teams won gold medals as well as employment or internship offers from IBM.   Full results are available here.                        

Two schools tied for 13 th place, and 13 institutions tied for 15 th place.  From the North America Region, 13 th place went to the University of Waterloo, and five universities tied for 15 th place, including Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California.

Other European Region winners include the University of Wroclaw in 13 th place, and Belarusian State University, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and Lviv National University in 15 th place. 

Also tied for 15 th place were Sharif University from the Middle East and Africa Region;  University of  Buenos Aires from the Latin America Region; and from the Asia Region, Fudan University, KAIST (formerly the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.           

Gold medals were awarded to the top four finishers, with silver medals going to the fifth through eighth place winners, and bronze medals to the ninth through the 12 th place winners.

This international competition is organized by ACM, whose membership includes more than 100,000 computing educators, researchers, professionals, and students worldwide.  Financial and systems support for ACM-ICPC is provided by IBM. 

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.

Contact:

Virginia Gold
ACM
212-626-0505
[email protected]

 

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