Notice
NEXON Young Programmers Cup Renewal Open
2026.06.04
Hello, Players! This is NYPC Headquarters.
We are pleased to announce that NYPC will be relaunched as the ‘NEXON Young Programmers Cup’ from June 4, 2026.
NYPC presents a new programming experience for the era of strategic thinking and designing optimal solutions. NYPC is embarking on a new challenge to help developers navigating the AI era go beyond their limits and pioneer new paths.
Go beyond writing and implementing code; challenge and solve a variety of problems to test your skills.
Notice of Major Renewal
Improvements on the competition format
The brand new NYPC will be in two rounds: the online ‘Qualification Round’ and the offline ‘Final Round’.
[Qualification Round]
An online round where players register, join the NYPC Arena (contest.nypc.co.kr), and freely solve problems during the competition.[Final Round]
Finalists from the Qualification Round will be invited to the offline Final Round held in Seoul at the end of August.
New ‘Replay’ submission
Players must submit the replay by the deadline following the Qualification Round. A replay is a post-competition report document describing how the players solved the problem.
While replays are not directly included in the evaluation, they are used to verify that the participants solved the problem by themselves. The use of any generative AI (LLM) is prohibited when writing the replay. For more information, please refer to the [RULES] > [Contest rules].
Improvements on the track
As the minimum age for participating in NYPC has changed from 12 to 14, the tracks have been reorganized into ‘Rookie Track’ for youth participants and ‘Master Track’ for university students.
[Rookie Track]
Heuristic problems are given. The competition is to write code that finds the optimal answer to a given problem and compete against other players.[Master Track]
AI battle problems are given. The competition is to write AI code to win in a given game environment and battle against other teams.
※ All players will be assigned to one of the two tracks based on the eligibility requirements upon registration.
※ Further information on eligibility for each track can be found on the Introduction[Click] page.
Allowing the use of AI tools
In the new NYPC, the use of AI tools during the competition is allowed. Before participating, please make sure to check the detailed rules regarding usage of AI tools in [RULES] > [Contest rules].
Recruiting new Vietnamese Players
The new NYPC broadens the eligibility for the Master Track globally. As a pilot for this extension, the 2026 NYPC recruits university students of Vietnamese nationality.
All Vietnamese players who pass the preliminary rounds will be invited to the Final Round along with Korean players.
※ Further information for global players can be found on the FAQ page.
Eligibility
Rookie Track
Affiliation: Currently enrolled in a middle school, high school, or equivalent.
Age: Aged 14-18 as of the beginning of registration date.
Nationality: South Korean national.
Master Track
Affiliation: Currently enrolled in a university or equivalent.
Age: Legal age of majority (19 for South Korea, 18 for Vietnam) for each country of origin as of the beginning of registration date.
Nationality: South Korean or Vietnamese national.
※ Detailed information and exceptions for eligibilities can be found on the Introduction[Click] and FAQ page[Click].
Competition Schedule
Rookie Track
Registration: ~
Qualification Round: ~ , held online at NYPC Arena
Replay Submission Deadline:
Final Round: August 29, 2026 (Sat) *Held offline; detailed venue to be announced later (in Seoul)
Master Track
Registration: ~
Qualification Round: ~ , held online at NYPC Arena
Replay Submission Deadline:
Final Round: August 29, 2026 (Sat) *Held offline; detailed venue to be announced later (in Seoul)
Start your challenge at NYPC -
the new stage for AI strategy competition.
Break, Solve, Win.🔥
NEXON YOUNG PROGRAMMERS CUP
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