<p>picoCTF is a free, capture-the-flag cybersecurity competition created by security experts at Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab. It gamifies hacking skills through puzzles spanning cryptography, web exploitation, forensics, binary exploitation, and reverse engineering.</p><ul><li>Open to everyone age 13 or older, including secondary, JC, and polytechnic students worldwide.</li><li>Format: 10-day timed online CTF with increasing difficulty. Challenges suit players with some programming knowledge; complete beginners should start with the noncompetitive picoGym.</li><li>picoCTF 2026 timeline: registration 1 February – 17 March 2026; contest 9 March – 19 March 2026.</li><li>Prizes and awards are offered to top-performing teams; eligibility rules are detailed in the competition rules.</li><li>A year-round practice environment (picoGym) is available for self-paced learning.</li></ul><p>Participation is free. Singapore students can register and compete globally for learning and ranking; cash-prize eligibility depends on the published competition rules.</p>