<p>The USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) is an online competitive-programming contest series for high-school students worldwide, run by USACO in support of computing education. Each season has three online contests followed by a proctored US Open championship, with participants grouped across four divisions – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum – that they progress through on merit. USACO also hosts extensive free training material and archived past problems.</p> <ul> <li>Eligibility: any pre-college student worldwide; Singapore students participate as observers and are not eligible for the USA IOI team selection</li> <li>Divisions: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum (promotion is by in-season performance)</li> <li>Format: online contest windows roughly 4 hours long in a Fri–Mon release window</li> <li>2025–2026 season: three online contests in January and February, plus the US Open proctored contest in March</li> <li>Top US finishers progress to USACO camp and represent the USA at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI)</li> <li>Cost: free to participate</li> </ul> <p>Singapore students commonly use USACO contests and the USACO training gateway as preparation for the National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI).</p>