Starting this year, a new NYPC membership system has been established, requiring a new registration on the NYPC website separately from your Nexon ID.
You can access all services once you register as a new member.

※ If you need a certificate of participation for the 2022–2025 competitions, you can download it until December 2026 by logging in with your Nexon ID.
[Download Certificate]

You must enter and verify your mobile phone number during registration, and important competition-related announcements will be sent to this number.
We strongly recommend providing a number registered in your own name.
If you use someone else's number, such as a guardian's, please ensure in advance that there will be no issues receiving verification codes and announcements.

※ Please note that participants are responsible for any consequences resulting from a failure to receive announcements.

▶ If you forgot your ID,
Click the [Profile] icon in the top right corner of the NYPC website to go to the login screen, then click [Find ID].
If you enter the email address you registered with, we will send your ID to that email.
▶ If you forgot your password,
Passwords are encrypted and stored, so they cannot be recovered if lost. Please reset your password via [Find Password].

Click the [Profile] icon in the top right corner of the NYPC website to go to the login screen,
then click [Find Password] After verifying your registered email address, you can set a new password.

You can change them after logging in at [MY PAGE] > [My Info].
However, the ID and nickname entered during registration cannot be changed.

Click the [Profile] icon in the top right corner of the NYPC website to open the login window, and ensure you enter your ID and password correctly.
Please try logging in again using one of the supported browsers below:

▶ PC: Chrome, Whale, Safari, MS Edge
▶ Mobile: Chrome, Samsung Internet, Safari, MS Edge

If you continue to experience errors when attempting to log in, please contact the NYPC HQ with a detailed description of the issue.

NYPC(NEXON Young Programmers Cup) consists of two tracks depending on the target participants.

▶ Rookie Track: Open to youths aged 14 to 18 participating individually. (Only for South Korean citizen)
▶ Master Track: Open to university students or adults who have reached the legal age of majority in their country of nationality as of the application date.
(Korea: 19 years of age or older; Vietnam: 18 years of age or older).

The competition proceeds in the order of Qualification Round → Final Round for each track.
Please review the details for each track before participating, as eligibility, schedules, formats, and awards vary by track.

▶ Affiliation: Those currently enrolled in a middle/high school or equivalent educational institution.
▶ Age: Youths aged 14 to 18 as of the application date.
▶ Nationality: South Korean citizens.

※ Exceptions
- If unaffiliated, individuals aged 14 to 18 can participate in the Rookie Track.
- Those within the above age range but enrolled in a university must participate in the Master Track.
- Those aged 19 or older but enrolled in a middle/high school must participate in the Rookie Track.
- Please understand that those under 14 cannot participate even if they meet the affiliation requirement.

※ Affiliation Guide in [APPLICATION] Menu
- If you are enrolled in the school, please select 'Enrolled' and enter your affiliation (Including students on leave of absence).
- If you are not enrolled in the school, please select 'Non-Enrolled' and enter your affiliated organization or institution. If you have none, enter "None".

▶ Affiliation: Those currently enrolled in a university or equivalent educational institution.
▶ Age: Adults who have reached the legal age of majority in their country of nationality as of the application date.
(Korea: 19 years of age or older; Vietnam: 18 years of age or older).
▶ Nationality: South Korean or Vietnamese citizens.

※ Exceptions
- If unaffiliated, individuals aged 18 or 19 to 24 can participate in the Master Track.
- Those aged 24 and older or youth under 18 can also participate in the Master Track if affiliated with a university.

※ Affiliation Guide in [APPLICATION] Menu
- If you are enrolled in the university, please select 'Enrolled' and enter your affiliation (Including students on leave of absence).
- If you are not enrolled in the university, please select 'Non-Enrolled' and enter your affiliated organization or institution. If you have none, enter "None".

Participation eligibility is determined by nationality requirements; residence is not a restriction.

▶ Koreans living abroad: Can participate. If you meet the affiliation and age requirements for the track, you can apply regardless of your country of residence.
However, a Korean mobile phone number is required when signing up.
▶ Foreigners living in Korea: Can apply if you meet the nationality requirements for the track.

※ Participants must be able to attend the Final Round held offline in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday, August 29.

If you enter your affiliation in the application form after signing up, you will be automatically assigned to the appropriate track based on the eligibility requirements.
If there is an issue with the assigned track, please take a screenshot and contact the NYPC HQ.

NYPC is divided into two tracks, and the schedule and format for each track are as follows:

▶ Rookie Track
A track for youths participating individually, serving as a stage to compete using your own strategies and skills.
- Application: Thursday, 2026-06-04 13:00 GMT+9 ~ Sunday, 2026-07-19 22:00 GMT+9
- Qualification Round: Friday, 2026-07-10 10:00 GMT+9 ~ Sunday, 2026-07-19 22:00 GMT+9, Online
- Final Round: Saturday, August 29, Offline

▶ Master Track
A track for university students participating as a team, serving as a stage to design strategies together with team members and achieve victory.
- Application: Thursday, 2026-06-04 13:00 GMT+9 ~ Wednesday, 2026-07-08 22:00 GMT+9
- Team Formation: Done separately in the Arena after applying(Minimum 1 to Maximum 4 members)
- Qualification Round: Monday, 2026-06-29 10:00 GMT+9 ~ Wednesday, 2026-07-08 22:00 GMT+9, Online
- Final Round: Saturday, August 29, Offline

Yes, you can.
NYPC encourages the use of Generative AI(LLM) as a tool to assist with creativity and problem-solving.
You can freely use search engines and LLMs during the competition, and this applies equally to both the Qualification Round and Final Round.

However, as the core of the competition is to evaluate human creativity and problem-solving abilities,
actions such as calling LLMs en masse in an automated manner or using multiple LLMs to screen code are prohibited.
For detailed LLM usage guidelines, please refer to [RULES] > [Contest Rules].

Yes, practice problems are released before the Qualification Round starts, and participants can test the competition environment in advance.
Scores from practice problems are not reflected in your final score and do not affect your scores in subsequent rounds.

The Master Track requires participation as a team of a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 4 members, and you must create a team even if you are participating alone.
The person who creates the team becomes the team leader.

▶ Team Formation Process
- Complete sign-up and application on the NYPC website(new.nypc.co.kr)
- Go to the Arena
- Create a team using the [Create Team] button, or join an existing team via [Join Team]
- Inviting team members is done via an invitation URL or team code, and approval from existing team members is required to join.

Please check the Arena for detailed procedures and screen instructions.

The rules for modifying a team vary depending on the start of the Qualification Round.

▶ Before the Qualification Round starts(Application through the Practice Problem period): Changing the team name, leaving the team, or disbanding the team is permitted.
▶ After the Qualification Round starts(Once the main problems are released): Existing members are strictly prohibited from leaving, changing, or disbanding their teams.
However, new members are still allowed to join.

NYPC is a competition to think strategically and design optimal solutions together with AI, and the problem formats differ by track.

▶ Rookie Track: Heuristic-type problems will be given, and each problem consists of two sections: 'Step Up' and 'Challenge'.
▶ Master Track: AI battle-type problems will be given, where you develop AI code capable of winning in a given game environment and battle against other teams.

For more details, such as solution methods, please refer to [RULES] > [Contest Rules].

A total of 12 language environments are provided: C, C++, C#, Rust, Go, Lua, Kotlin, Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Scala.
The same language environment is provided for each track, and you only need to use one of them to solve the problems.
More details can be found in [RULES] > [Contest Rules].

After the round concludes, you can view and download your submitted code and results from [My Page].

In the event of a tie, the handling method differs by track.

▶ Rookie Track: The participant with the earlier final submission time receives a higher ranking.
▶ Master Track: A separate tiebreaker criterion based on tournament rules applies.

For more details, please refer to [RULES] > [Contest Rules].

Posting strategies, code, etc. for problems other than practice problems online during the competition or before it ends may constitute cheating.

In particular, uploading them publicly to GitHub, blogs, communities, social media, etc. can also be considered cheating, so please be extremely careful.
If you use online compilers like Ideone, be sure to set your source code to private before executing it.

If determined to be cheating, you may face restrictions on participating in the competition and other disadvantages, and you must delete the post upon the request of the NYPC HQ. Sharing is allowed after the competition is completely over.

For a stable connection and smooth usage, we recommend using the latest version of a browser(Chrome, Firefox, etc.) in a PC environment.
If browser extensions are running, normal access to the Arena may be difficult.

You can check it on [My Page] of the NYPC website.
※ If you need a certificate of participation for the 2022–2025 competitions, you can download it until December 2026 by logging in with your Nexon ID. [Download Certificate]

We do not provide separate solutions for past NYPC problems.

Notices regarding the request and download of promotional materials will be posted in the Announcements section on the website, so please refer to them.

The 'Code Battle,' which was conducted as a special track last year, will be run as the regular Master Track starting this year.

An email address and mobile phone number are required during registration, and a verification process will be conducted.
For the mobile phone number, enter the Vietnam country code (+84) followed by your number, and a verification code will be sent to that number.

All competition schedules operate based on Korea Standard Time (KST).
Since there is a 2-hour time difference with Vietnam (ICT), please keep this in mind when applying and participating in the Qualification Round.

The visa issuance procedure will be announced separately by the NYPC HQ after the finalists are confirmed.

A valid passport is strictly required to participate in the Final Round. If you do not currently possess one, you must obtain it before the finalists are announced in early July.
If you are unable to enter Korea due to passport issues, your participation in the Final Round will be restricted, and you will be held solely responsible for any resulting consequences.

Additionally, for identity verification, you must submit a certificate verifying your affiliation as of the start date of the Qualification Round application.
(You must submit one of the following, issued within the last 6 months: Certificate of Enrollment, Certificate of Leave of Absence, or Certificate of Expected Graduation.)

Detailed guidelines for Vietnam participants regarding the Final Round schedule, transportation, and accommodation will be provided individually by the NYPC HQ after the finalists are confirmed.