Organizers of the second annual Maryland Cyber Challenge & Competition (MDC3) announced today that registration is now open for high school students, college students and cybersecurity professionals. The finals of the competition will be held live October 16-17 at the Baltimore Convention Center as part of the CyberMaryland 2012 conference.
MDC3 is the only event of its kind to offer three levels of competition: high school, college and professional. Each division is open to teams of up to six participants who meet the following qualifications:
- High School: Students in class years 2013-2016
- College: Full-time and part-time university (graduate & undergraduate) and community college students
- Professionals: Industry & government cybersecurity/IT professionals
Potential competitors only need a basic knowledge of Windows and UNIX to participate, and will have the opportunity to learn how the challenge games will be played during two orientation sessions to be held August 24 and September 7. Once registered, teams will be able to participate in practice competitions to prepare for the MDC3 qualifying rounds to be held in September.
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In 2011, a total of 312 competitors from across the state participated in the first MDC3. Each member of the winning student teams received a $5,000 scholarship to support their higher education, sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA) and an internship with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Second-place team members each received a $2,000 scholarship.
Members of the winning professional team were awarded a cash prize of $2,000, while members of the second-place team received $1,000 cash.
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In addition, the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), a not-for-profit, international organization of information security professionals and practitioners, awarded one-year memberships to the first-place winners in all divisions of competition, as well as to the second-place finishers in the high school and college divisions. Prizes for the 2012 MDC3 will be announced soon.
“The Maryland Cyber Challenge and Competition gives students and professionals alike the opportunity to demonstrate skills and techniques needed to protect vital information systems while participating in a fun, competitive, team-based activity,” said Kelli-Ann Tucker, project manager with MDC3 founding partner SAIC. “Last year, the inaugural MDC3 was a huge success, and we are excited to find even more talent this year.”
The deadline to register is September 19, 2012. Full competition details and registration information is available online at www.mdc3.org. For more information, please contact Kelli-Ann Tucker, SAIC at Kelli-Ann.Tucker@saic.com or 703.676.5683.
About the Maryland Cyber Challenge & Competition (MDC3)
The finals of the second annual Maryland Cyber Challenge & Competition (MDC3) will be held October 16-17 at the Baltimore Convention Center as part of CyberMaryland 2012. The event gives teams of high school students, college and university students, and professionals the opportunity to learn about cybersecurity and demonstrate practical skills for defending computers while competing for scholarships and prizes in a fun environment. MDC3 was created with the goal of encouraging Maryland students and young professionals to pursue education and careers in cybersecurity. MDC3 supports the State of Maryland’s initiative to become the nation’s epicenter for innovation in cybersecurity. For more information, please visit www.MDC3.org.
