Skip to the content of the web site.

Mathematics and Computing Contests

Canadian Computing Competition Details

The Canadian Computing Competition (CCC) began in 1996 as a forum for high school students in Canada to learn about and enjoy aspects of programming.

The Competition

The competition consists of two stages.

  • Stage 1: Written in schools, this is a 3 hour contest composed of 5 questions (either at the Junior or Senior Level). Teachers need to register in order for contests to be sent to schools. There is no team competition.
  • Stage 2: The top 20 (or so) Senior contestants from Stage 1 are invited to Stage 2, held at the University of Waterloo, in the Spring. This week-long event involves workshops, a contest (divided into two 3 hour components) as well as other extra-curricular activities.

Results of both stages of the competition will be used for declaring medallists in the competition.

Notes

  1. Selection of Stage 2 contestants is at the discretion of the CEMC Executive.
  2. The results of both stages are used to determine Canadian Team members who participate in the International Olympiad of Informatics (IOI), held in a different country every year.

Languages

For Stage 1, competitors are allowed to use virtually any programming language which is supported at their school. (Symbolic computation languages such as Maple are not allowed.) It is suggested that Pascal, C/C++, Python, Turing, Java, and their various dialects be used. Other languages may be used with approval from the CEMC Executive.

For Stage 2, competitors must use Pascal and/or C/C++. Competitors in both stages may use more than one language during the competition.

Stage 1 Format

Stage 1 of the CCC consists of two distinct papers: the Junior Division paper and the Senior Division paper. Each paper consists of 5 questions. The range of difficulty increases from the first question to the last question on each paper.

More specifically, on the Junior Division paper:

Questions 1 and 2 Straightforward (e.g., basic loops and conditions)
Questions 3 and 4 More challenging (e.g. some combination of loops, conditions and counting)
Question 5 Some advanced material (e.g., recursion, efficient sorting, clever algorithms)

For the Senior Division paper:

Questions 1 and 2 Basic algorithms (e.g., sorting, searching)
Questions 3 and 4 More advanced algorithms (e.g., careful counting, some mathematical reasoning)
Question 5 e.g., IOI level question

Students may attempt any questions, but they will be graded only on the Junior paper or only on the Senior paper (i.e., not on some combination of Junior and Senior questions).

The Competition in each Division is marked out of a total of 75. Prizes for Junior entries are limited to certificates and medals. Prizes for Senior entries include certificates and invitations to Stage 2.

Stage 1 Grading

Each participating school will be provided with detailed marking instructions. Test data will be provided to the local grader via the main CCC website. The test data should not be available to the students while they are developing their solutions. The local grader is responsible for the initial evaluation of the competitors work and should check the CCC website for marking updates before beginning to grade. Student solutions sent ungraded to the CEMC will not be evaluated. Approximately 10 days is allowed for grading. If the local grader has questions about grading, please

Awards and Recognition

Full-time students registered in your school are classified as official contestants if:

  1. their birth date is on or after July 1, 1993;
  2. they have been in attendance at a Canadian elementary, secondary school and/or CÉGEP for at least twelve months prior to December 31, 2012.

Stage 1 Awards

  • Each student that writes Stage 1, receives a Certificate of Participation.
  • Every student scoring in the top 25% of all competitors receives a Certificate of Distinction.
  • The top 2 Junior official contestants and the top 2 Senior official contestants in each region of the country receive a plaque and $100, and the schools of these competitors also receive a plaque. The regions are:
    • West (BC to Manitoba)
    • Ontario North and East
    • Metro Toronto area
    • Ontario Central and West
    • Quebec and Atlantic

Stage 2 Awards

  • Each Stage 2 contestant receives a plaque for gold, silver or bronze standing.
  • Each official silver medalist receives a $100 cash prize.
  • Each official gold medalist receives a $300 cash prize.