ARENA BATTLES BY CODECOMBAT – EXAM CONDITIONS

1. ELIGIBILITY & PARTICIPATION

• This category is open to students in grades 4 to 12.
• All students will compete in the same arena. However, results will be evaluated and ranked separately within the following grade groups:
  -> Code Pioneers (Grades 4-6)
  -> Code Explorers (Grades 7-9)
  -> Code Masters (Grades 10-12)   
  

2. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES & EXAM FORMAT

• Supported languages: Python and JavaScript.
• Participants must write and submit their code through the Arena Exam Panel within the designated 36-hour submission period.
• Code may be edited and resubmitted at any time during this period.
• Detailed exam guidelines will be announced separately. 
  

COMPETITION FORMAT AND ROUNDS

• This category consists of 4 online and 1 onsite round.
• The 3 Online Qualification Rounds are offered on alternative dates. Participants are not required to take all three rounds and may choose the Qualification Round(s) that best suit their schedules.
  -> Online Qualification Round 1
  -> Online Qualification Round 2
  -> Online Qualification Round 3
  -> Online Final Round (Free)
  -> Grand Final – Europe or USA
• Participants are recommended to participate in an additional Qualification Exam to improve the result carried forward to the Final Round. 
  

4. FEES & BENEFITS

• The participation fee is 40 €. Students may optionally participate in an additional Qualification Exam for 15 € to improve the result carried forward to the Final Round.
• The participation fee includes CodeCombat Premium membership, valid until 1 September 2027, provided by the Coding Olympiad.
• Through this Premium membership, students can access the CodeCombat training platform to practice and prepare for the competition.

5. COMPETITION STRUCTURE

• Students will compete in head-to-head battles in a defined arena. Arena details will be provided at the start of the exam.
• The primary objective is to write code that controls characters in competitive scenarios, such as battling opponents or collecting resources against other players.
• Students will have 36 hours to write, improve and submit their code before the simulations begin.
  • During this time, they may test and refine their strategies based on the revealed arena rules and layout.
  • Once the submission period closes, the arena will be locked, and no further changes to the submitted code will be permitted.
  • Simulation battles will then begin in the live AI Arena.
  • Rankings will be based on the total number of wins and losses. 
  

6. EVALUATION & RANKING

The final ranking in the Final Round will be calculated based on 30% of the highest score achieved in any Qualification Exam and 70% of the total score achieved in the Final Round.

7. MEDALS, CERTIFICATES & DISCOUNT AWARDS

• The top 3 participants in each grade group will receive:
  - A physical Gold Medal (Gold 1, Gold 2 or Gold 3) & a Certificate of Achievement delivered by post
  - Eligibility for discounts on the 2027 Grand Finals in Europe or the USA:
     → 1st places: 75% discount
     → 2nd places: 50% discount
     → 3rd places: 25% discount
• Top 10% of participants: Digital Gold Medal Certificate & Certificate of Achievement
• Next 20% of participants: Digital Silver Medal Certificate & Certificate of Achievement
• Next 30% of participants: Digital Bronze Medal Certificate & Certificate of Achievement
• Next 20% of participants: Digital Honorable Mention Certificate & Certificate of Achievement
• Remaining 20% of participants: Digital Participation Certificate  
  

8. QUALIFICATION FOR THE CODING GRAND FINAL – EUROPE & USA

• Participants in grades 3–11 can participate in the Coding Grand Final in Europe or the USA.
• To be eligible, participants must rank in the top 40% of their grade group in any Qualification Round or in the top 60% of their grade group in the Final Round.