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The IBM zStudent Contest is an annual coding contest centered around sustainable energy and enterprise computing. It is sponsored by IBM zXplore and, and powered by HackerEarth. You’ll get a chance to compete for global and regional cash prizes, and get a chance to learn some major computing skills, such as JCL, z/OS, SQL, COBOL, Python, APIs, Unix and more.

Requirements

In order to start the contest you need sign up for the IBM zXplore platform and complete the Fundamentals and Concepts levels, and earn your IBM zXplore Concepts Badge.

The Contest

The contest is divided in 6 different sections (or drops as they are called). You will need to work on your own, as it Is a solo contest

You can head over to IBM zXplore to get started:

The theme of the contest is sustainability. IBM is a longstanding leader in environmental sustainability and the IBM z16 was designed to make a powerful improvement in sustainability intentional and by design. The features on the z16 enable a smaller energy footprint by reducing costs in every aspect. The zSystems machine performances reduce overall system power consumption, require less floor space and reduce CO2 emissions compared to an x86 server.

To go along with the zSystems machines sustainability, this contest is focused on using your skills on IBM zSystems to meet the sustainability goal of identifying, locating and acquiring the components of a fuel cell to power your zMobile.

Prizes

The cash prizes will be awarded in two categories. If you are selected in on, you will not be considered for the other one and vice versa

• Grand Prize – Global Winners (3) | USD 1,500 each
• Regional Prize – Regional Winners (6) | USD 1,000 each
  • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East and Africa
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • North America
  • India

Even if you are not selected among the finalist prize winners, do not fret. All contenders that submit their project, no matter if it is incorrect, will receive a badge to show their contribution in the 2022 zStudent Contest.

Getting registered for the contest

To get yourself registered for the contest, first head over the HackerEarth Sign-up page.

 
Once you're at the Sign-up page, you'll see a blue button that says "Register Now". Once you click this button you can fill in your personal information and start the registration process for the 2022 contest.

Enter your school, and what region you are participating from. Make sure to enter the correct info. Your regional prize qualification will depend on whichever region you select.

You'll also be prompted to enter your skillset. You can skip this section if you so choose.

Once you are done, you'll receive a confirmation email to your registered email address. You need to confirm your email associated with your zXplore account to proceed.

When you've confirmed your email, you can head over to IBM zXplore and navigate to the IBM zStudent Contest section. 

Once you're there, you'll be able to see the drops as they occur and track your progress. All of the tracks that you need to complete will appear here.

This is all you need to know to get started with the 2022 IBM zStudent Contest. Best of luck & happy coding!