The PA Cyber Workforce Alliance is hosting a Capture the Flag cybersecurity competition for high school students on April 17–18, 2026. See the details below, and register today!
Event Details
- Date: April 17 and 18, 2026
- Location: Virtual
Event Rules
- Teams may have up to four participants.
- All participants must be enrolled in high school.
How to Compete
Login/Sign Up at Hack the Box
- Visit the CTF website to read more about the competition.
- To join the competition, you must first log in to your existing Hack the Box account or create a new one.
- To create an account, follow these instructions.
Create or Join a Team
- You must create or join a team before registering for the event. To do so, follow these instructions.
- Work with your teammates to determine who will act as “Captain” and create the team.
- To join a team, search for your team name in the search box.
- Team Captains must accept/reject requests to join.
Request the Event Password
- Once you have created/joined a team, request the event password by completing this online form.
Register for the Event
- Log in to your Hack the Box account and join the PCWA CTF by entering the event password. Happy hacking!
Prizes
All members of winning teams will receive the following:
- First Place: $75 gift card
- Second Place: $50 gift card
- Third Place: $25 gift card
Event Sponsorship
This event is hosted by the PA Cyber Workforce Alliance, with funding provided by NIST.
Helpful Websites
- Sign up for a Hack the Box account.
- Practice your skills before the competition by completing the Hack the Box CTF Try Out.
- Get help from the Hack the Box CTF Help Center.
- Event Link: PCWA High School CTF
Scoring/Strategies
Capture Flags to Earn Points
- The event consists of 10 challenges across four different topics, ranging in difficulty.
- Once the competition opens, teams will work together to solve challenges to earn points.
- The team with the highest points at the end of the event wins!
- Here are more details on scoring.
Competition Strategies
- Collaboration is key to success. Work with your team to determine a strategy to solve challenges. Below are a few questions to get you started:
- In-Person or Virtual: Does your team want to meet in person to solve challenges, or connect via Zoom or another online meeting platform?
- Individual or Group: Does your team want to work on challenges together, or assign challenges to members to attempt on their own?
- Please Note: Challenges can be completed at any point while the competition is open. Work together to determine a schedule that best fits your team’s availability.