Pune to Host ICPC 2026 Regional Contest as IIIT Pune Selected as Onsite Centre

Pune, 13th August 2026: The Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Pune will host one of three onsite centres for the ICPC Kanpur Multi-Site 2026 Regional Contest, bringing the prestigious international collegiate programming competition to Pune for the first time.

The contest is scheduled to be held on December 22 and 23, 2026, simultaneously at IIIT Pune, CSJM University Kanpur and IIT Gandhinagar. CSJM University Kanpur will remain the parent site for the Kanpur Regional, with the academic framework, rules and selection process common across all three centres. IIIT Pune and IIT Gandhinagar will join this year as onsite sub-centres.

The International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) is a global university-level programming competition in which teams of three students compete to solve complex problems under time constraints. The competition attracts more than 50,000 students from over 3,000 universities across 111 countries annually, according to IIIT Pune.

The World Finals, the competition’s highest stage, featured only 140 teams in 2025 from 63,294 students who competed worldwide that year.

Pune Centre to Improve Access for Maharashtra Students
The organisers said the Pune centre will make it easier for qualified teams from Maharashtra and neighbouring states to participate in an onsite regional contest without having to travel to distant cities.

According to IIIT Pune, the move could also encourage more colleges in the region to participate in competitive programming, particularly institutions that may not have previously attempted the competition because of travel and logistical challenges.

Prof. Vineet Kansal, Director of IIIT Pune, said hosting the contest would bring international-level problem-solving and teamwork opportunities to the city’s technology ecosystem.

“For students across Maharashtra and neighboring states, this means the opportunity to compete on a world-class stage is now within reach, without having to travel across the country for it,” Kansal said. He added that the institute hopes the event will encourage more colleges to form coding teams and take competitive programming seriously.

Dr Nagendra Kushwaha, ICPC Kanpur Regional Contest Director, said extending the regional contest to Pune would provide a nearby onsite platform for students from Maharashtra and western India.

He said the organisers expect the move to increase participation from the region and contribute to the development of a stronger competitive programming culture.

How Students Can Participate
Teams comprising three students and a coach from the same college can register for the competition. Interested teams will first participate in an online qualifying round on October 3, 2026, after which selected teams will be invited to compete onsite at Pune, Kanpur or Gandhinagar.

Registrations for the qualifying round are open from August 6 to September 15, 2026. Five onsite spots are specifically reserved for all-women teams as part of an effort to encourage greater participation by women in competitive programming.

IIIT Pune is an Institute of National Importance under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, focusing on education, research and innovation in information technology and allied fields.