oicat

Catalan Olympiad in Informatics

CONTEST

PERIOD

2019 — 2020

LOCATION

Barcelona, Spain

WEBSITE

olimpiada-informatica.cat

The Catalan Olympiad in Informatics (OICat) is a yearly competition in which students from Catalonia and the Valencian Community can participate.

The olympiad features a wide range of problems, from purely logical problems to algorithmic and programming challenges. The programming challenges are mostly done in C++, although C, Java and Python are also accepted programming languages. Some challenges require image processing, and those can only be done in Python.

Participants (including me!) solving problems in the 2019 OICat. Source

Although the olympiad is a relatively short event (as it only lasts a single day), it is a great experience, as it allows students interested in competitive programming to meet eachother and build friendships and connections. The organization that organizes the olympiad also provides many training and educational courses on problem solving and competitive programming, that can serve as learning resources and eventual preparation for the bigger Spanish Olympiad in Informatics.

I managed to get a Gold Medal (the hightest prize possible) in the 2019 and the 2020 editions of the olympiad:

2019 OICat winners. Source

2020 OICat winners. Source

Despite the short timeframe, both times I participated were very fun and memorable. I made some friends there, and it also granted me access to the 2019 Harbour Space Tech Scouts summer course, which I wouldn't have been able to attend otherwise. Overall, a very worthwhile experience!

2019 Diploma

06/2019