The Creative Space at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) co-hosted the 2023 edition of its annual Python Competition on May 13 - the culmination of a two-month long programming course for high school students.

Designed in collaboration with the Special and Gifted Students department at MoEHE, the two-month course instructed 52 students from 14 schools based in Qatar on the fundamentals of Python - a widely used language with applications in web development, machine learning and data science. Creative Space emphasized a hands-on approach for all its students, creating an engaging environment where they could explore the fields of computer engineering and computer science.

The course concluded with the Python Competition, which saw the participants work in teams to develop a memory game using the Python programming language. Within a seven-hour time limit, the students were challenged to draw upon their newly acquired coding skills to develop and present a working version of the game. Upon completion, a panel of judges then assessed each team’s projects, the soundness of their programming, and performance throughout the competition. 

QCRI and MoEHE then held an awards ceremony for the winners of the competition on May 16, where they also took the time to congratulate all students for successfully completing the Python course and competition.

First Place:
Abdulla Al Qahtani and Khaled Al Nuaimi - Omar Ibn Al Khattab Preparatory School; Yamen Al Khateeb - Ahmad bin Mohamed Secondary School

Second Place:
Shaden Asem, Sidra Hariri, Waad Mohannad - Um Ayman Secondary School

Third Place:
Amal Sameh, Mariam Ashur, Taimia Haikal - Hafsa Preparatory School

“Our partnership with MoEHE enabled us to design an interactive, hands-on course that offered high school students in Qatar a glimpse into the dynamic nature of the computer science and engineering fields. QCRI is committed to providing a knowledge hub for Qatar to retain, attract and develop top talent in computer science,” said Dr. Eman Fituri, Director of Educational Initiatives, QCRI.