A number of Year 9 teams in Northern Ireland schools have made it through to the next round of the Cyber First Girls competition.
This competition is run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and aims to inspire girls to consider a career in an industry where women are under-represented.
Last year, a team from Strathearn School in Belfast made it to the final round as regional winners.

The 2021 contest began with a qualifying round in January, where teams participated in online challenges to rack up points.
The highest scoring teams have progressed to the regional semi-finals and the winners of these events will earn a place at the Grand Final in April.
The content for each category of the competition is consistent with subjects within the Computer Science syllabus from both the National Curriculum and Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence. However, the competition will contain some advanced cyber topics that are not covered in traditional education but will seek to stretch the lateral thinking and additional cyber knowledge of the teams.
2021 Girls Competition key dates
- 25th January (12 noon) to 3rd February 2021 (12 noon) - online qualifying round
- 12th March 2021 - Regions (including NI) and English regions semi-final
- 26th April 2021 - Grand Final
Find out more
Visit the NCSC website for details.