From February 28 to March 2, students from all over Europe came together to compete in the 2025 International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) Europe Championship in Porto. Zsombor Bata, Julian Hessenberger, and Ben Kinigadner were there to represent TU Wien as a team in this renowned programming competition. The team was supported on-site by (retired) Professor Gerald Futschek.

The ICPC is a programming contest that started out in the 1970s, and is organized by the ICPC Foundation. In teams of three, participants represent their universities and tackle real-world problems. The competition promotes collaboration and teamwork and tests programming skills and the ability to perform under pressure. The goal is to advance and promote the art and science of programming to benefit society.

Although the competition was fierce, the programming team from TU Wien proved themselves to be formidable contenders. As the youngest team in the Championship and participating for the first time in a contest this large, they faced an uphill battle. Despite the high level of competition, the team rose to the challenge and solved tricky and challenging tasks with skill and determination. Engaging with so many other talented programmers not tested the team’s abilities but also provided a valuable learning experience.