Last weekend, on March 1st, the second edition of the Argeș County Programming Competition took place at “Ion C. Brătianu” National College in Pitești, Romania.
The Roweb team sponsored this event with young computer science and mathematics enthusiasts in mind—students eager to test and refine their skills in a friendly yet serious competition.
Being able to get involved and give back to the future generation of programmers makes us proud and fulfilled.
About the competition
After the great success of its first edition—earning it a spot in the county competition calendar (position 23) for the 2024-2025 school year—the teachers at I.C. Brătianu decided to bring the experience back.
So, on March 1, 2025, excited students arrived early in the morning, at 9:00 AM, at the high school in Pitești.
The competition, named “Students for Students,” has a unique approach. The problems were proposed by students who had achieved remarkable results in the informatics Olympiad, adding extra relevance and challenge for participants.
The tasks were inspired by Olympiad materials but were slightly more accessible, serving as a stepping stone for those who want to progress further in competitions and test their knowledge in a real-world setting.
This year, 60 students from grades 9-12 participated in the competition, selected by coordinating teachers from each high school.
Although it was a preparatory competition, the difficulty level was not far from that of the county Olympiad. The goal was to help students assess their knowledge before the ultimate test and get familiar with the Olympiad-style problem-solving approach.
The tasks were divided into four categories, corresponding to each high school year, with grades 11 and 12 sharing the same problems.
For three hours, participants had to solve two problems using the C++ programming language. Evaluation was conducted in real time, just like in the Olympiad: solutions were uploaded to a platform and instantly verified, allowing students to submit multiple versions of their answers.
Awards ceremony
After all their hard work, the long-awaited moment arrived—the awards ceremony!
In the school’s amphitheater, the winners took the stage, receiving diplomas and cash prizes, fully sponsored by Roweb, the competition’s only sponsor.
The atmosphere was filled with excitement and emotions, and we were delighted to see so many motivated and passionate young minds. More than anything, we are happy to help them pursue their dreams in programming.
Professor Marin Cristea, the computer science teacher who played a key role in organizing the event, was happy to share with us the emotions of this experience. He offered a few words about how the competition unfolded:
“A unique competition! A true challenge, both for the students who proposed the problems and for those who attempted to solve them!
All participants realized that this was a different kind of contest—one recognized by Argeș schools and the school inspectorate, but where the problems were created by students who had already proven their skills in previous Olympiads.
The competition format is identical to that of the Informatics Olympiad: students submit their solutions to an evaluation platform and receive their results within seconds! Of course, they can submit multiple solutions, with the best one being considered.
This is their competition, the students’ competition, and they are proud of it. They won’t stop at the second edition!
Thank you, Roweb, for the joy that the best of the best experienced at the awards ceremony!”
Why Roweb supports these initiatives
This is not the first time we have been involved in educational activities that help talented young people shine.
We do it whenever we have the opportunity because we believe in the power of education and the importance of supporting new generations of programmers and IT specialists.
Everyone needs support at the beginning of their journey, and we want to be that support for teenagers.
Furthermore, we believe that IT in Romania has a lot to offer in the field of innovation, which is why it is essential to instill confidence in young people about their abilities.
From all of us at Roweb, congratulations to all participants and winners! We hope to see you at future editions and continue contributing to the development of young talents in IT.
