PACTF is an annual online computer security competition for middle and high school students.

Round 1:  Lovelace
April 16 — April 23


Round 2:  Hopper
April 23 — April 30


Round 3:  Finals
May 14 — May 28


Check out the Winning Teams!

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New to CTFs?

CTFs, short for Capture the Flags, are a type of Computer Security competition where you hack, decrypt, reverse, and do whatever it takes to solve increasingly challenging security puzzles!

What Next?

Sign up in a team of 1–5 competitors. There will then be a list of ‘problems’ for you to solve.

On solving a problem, you should end up with a string as an answer called a ‘flag’ (hence the term ‘Capture the Flag’). You can submit this flag using the text box next to the problem description for points and fun!

Arise, go forth, and conquer!

Some text adapted from PicoCTF.

PACTF is different

Experienced CTFer? Or new to Capture The Flags? Either way, want to solve problems and win prizes without spending fourteen consecutive days on a CTF?

Find out how

Instead of a two-week sprint, PACTF will have 3 rounds, each one week long. During each round, you can pick any two-day span to grab as many flags as you can! Choose wisely: Once your two days run out, you won’t be able to score more points in that round.

Don’t worry about being too slow, though! Even if your two-day timer is over, you can still test your skills against problems in previous rounds.

There are scoreboards for each individual round, and there is an overall all-time scoreboard.

Are there prizes?

Over $20,000 worth of prizes will be awarded to the top-ranking teams of each round and the overall contest. Whether you are a specialist or an all-rounder, there’s something for you!

Tell me more

Check out our prizes page for details, and learn about the sponsors who helped make PACTF possible!