The Perse Coding Team Challenge
Do you enjoy writing code to solve problems?
The Perse Coding Team Challenge will test your programming prowess as you battle it out against teams from across the UK for the PCTC Cup.
PCTC is sponsored by
Register for the competition
A supervising teacher does not require any coding expertise to host this competition at their school.
All you need to do is sign up to our teacher mailing list, recruit your school teams, encourage practice with the material provided and arrange an invigilation session within the competition window.
Competition Information
The competition is open to UK pupils up to Year 11 (S4 in Scotland) and is free to enter.
International schools may enter the competition for the purpose of certificate awards, but only schools in the UK will be eligible for the cup/prize money award.
2026 Competition Dates
To take part, students will complete the coding challenge at their own schools, using the PCTC competition website, during the times shown below.
Round 1 competition window:
Mon. 26th January – Fri. 6th February 2026
Round 2 competition window:
Mon. 2nd March – Fri. 13th March 2026
+ Sixth Form Gold Rush Certification Mon. 16th March – Fri. 20th March
Please note: Round 2 is recommended only for those achieving the highest certificate level in Round 1.
Sixth Form Gold Rush follows immediately on from PCTC Round 2 and allows older students a solo opportunity to test themselves on a mix of six questions selected from Round 2 material for 50 minutes for fun and a chance to achieve certificates.
PCTC School Registrations should ideally be made at least one week before these windows to ensure sufficient time for the material to be sent to the invigilating teachers. Individual student registrations are not required: instead teachers create batches of student logins.
The Prizes
PCTC prizes are sponsored by
Find out more about the great prizes available for successful students.
PCTC is part of the UKCT Challenges Progression Pathway