Why should you do coding competitions
Tags: beginners, learning, coding, programming
Published: 2021-02-22 11:47:42

When I was younger I used to compete in coding competitions but never really made the grade. I’ve got a lot of respect for these guys who get to the top through dedication and perseverance, there are some cool prizes to be won and massive kudos to be earned.

Even though i was competing i was never a serious player but i loved the sense of community, competitivity aside i was just so in awe that so many different people were involved in something i was interested in, and good at.

The more I thought about competing over the years of these competitions the more I realised how useful they were for my own development and career. So here’s my attempt to cover why they are a good idea, followed by a list of competitions.
<ul>
<li>Enhance problem-solving skills</li>
<li>Brush up programming skills</li>
<li>Develop team player skills</li>
<li>Encourage to write cleaner and better code</li>
<li>Good brain exercise</li>
<li>Employment opportunities</li>
<li>Join you with community</li>
<li>Prizes and money</li>
</ul>

<h3>CodeChef</h3>
<a hrefs="https://www.codechef.com/contests/">CodeChef</a> hosts a programming contest at the start of each month and two smaller programming challenges at the middle and end of the month. There’s a practice section with problems that can be solved using different languages, a good way to get started.

<h3>Leetcode</h3>
<a hrefs="https://leetcode.com/contest/">Leetcode</a> runs weekly and biweekly contents as well as daily challenges and a Bug Bounty Program with many eligible for rewards.

<h3>Topcoder</h3>
<a hrefs="https://www.topcoder.com/community/competitive-programming/">Topcoder</a> provides challenges as well as competitive programming competitions as well as paying community members for their work on projects. They also sell community services to business clients when required.

<h3>Coderbyte</h3>
A challenge library with a simple entry, you don’t even need to register to start testing your skills here. You can just jump in and start solving coding challenges using the online editor. You can really test your knowledge and skill by difficulty or from specific companies like Google and Facebook. Lots of starter courses for newbies and budding developers to learn new skills. <a hrefs="https://coderbyte.com/">Codebyte</a> is also a hunting ground for employers so the Interview Kits is a great addition.

<h3>HackerRank</h3>
<a hrefs="https://www.hackerrank.com/contests">HackerRank</a> has some great challenges from Competitive Challenges, Hackathons, Hiring Challenges (Jobs) and University Challenges to test your skills. You can also host your own hackathon.

Company Code Contests:
<a hrefs="https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/en-us/Events">Microsoft Imagine Cup</a>
<a hrefs="https://codingcompetitions.withgoogle.com/">Google</a> 
<a hrefs="https://www.facebook.com/codingcompetitions">Facebook</a>

More competition websites:
<a hrefs="https://projecteuler.net/">Project Euler</a>
<a hrefs="https://exercism.io/">Exercism</a>
<a hrefs="https://www.codewars.com/">Code Wars</a>
<a hrefs="https://www.spoj.com/">Sphere Online Judge</a> 
<a hrefs="https://www.codingame.com/start">CodinGame</a> 
<a hrefs="https://codewarscentral.org/">Code Wars Central</a>

Let me now if i missed something.