Save the Date! The 2023 Middle School ND Cyber Madness Tournament will be held on October 27, 2023, (Virtual Play-In Rounds) and In-Person Finals on November 17, 2023!
Registration along with tournament information will be available in the coming months.
This is an exciting opportunity to expand the community of youth in North Dakota who are interested in the rapidly growing field of Cyber Security and technology! Participants can practice for the tournament at: Cyber.org sample challenges.
Rules and Regulations (PDF)
Middle School Cyber Madness FAQ
Do teachers/coaches need to have experience in computer programming?
Teachers and coaches do not need computer expertise, just a supportive attitude! It is a competition to introduce students to concepts. You will set your teams up for success if you encourage them to practice on their own time.
Do you need four students on a team, or can you have less?
We encourage four students but will allow less. We can combine with schools from other schools if need be.
Can teams be made up of students from all the middle schools or just from their own school?
Teams can be made up of students from more than one school.
Does the virtual play-in round on Oct. 28 happen during the school day?
Yes, it happens during the school day.
8:15 MT and 9:15 CST Logistics
8:30 MT 3:30 MT Competition Time
9:30 CST 4:30 CST Competition Time
What equipment is needed?
Equipment allowed are computers and the internet. Connectivity will be provided for the finals, on site in Grand Forks and Minot, along with extension cords for power.
Do there need to be adults supervising the team?
One adult coach per team is required. There will be several support staff on hand to help answer questions and to assist coaches.
Can you explain what the competition looks like?
- The first event is virtual and determines who will move ahead to the finals. Teams work together to answer various challenges. Here is a site that will assist in preparation: National Cyber Cup by CYBER.ORG | Cyber.org
- During the virtual event, teams can be connected to a Microsoft Teams site to ask questions and for support.
- The finals will be face-to-face in Minot and Grand Forks in the form of a daylong competition.
- There will be a live scoreboard during the virtual and face to face events.
- Students at the face-to-face event will be gathered around their devices as a team competing with other Middle School teams across North Dakota.
How do teachers/coaches and teams prepare for the competition?
- Teams can go to https://practice.ctfcyber.org/ to practice for the event. A great resource here would be for teams to try out the sample challenges in the elementary and middle school space. To practice please go to the website link and choose the “Challenges” tab at the top. However, there are other resources on the “Student Resources” tab that may be used in the competition.
For the competitions, how will student’s access or login to the event?
- There are several platforms which will be utilized during the Cyber Madness competitions. The Virtual Play-In Round will be participating in a Capture the Flag (CTF) site that will be very similar to the site at https://practice.ctfcyber.org/. The school teams will be pre-enrolled on the site and will log in and join their team at the start of the competition. Each student will log in individually and will then join their team with additional login info that will be provided by their teacher.
- After the Virtual Play-In Round, each of the teams that qualify for the finals will be given access to a virtual Cyber Range that they will use during the competition. On the Range, each student will have their own account that will be grouped by team. Qualifying teams will be given access to the Range beginning immediately after the Virtual Play-In Round results are announced so that they can practice on the Range environment in advance of the finals.
May we use phone apps or other tools we find online?
Oh yes! There are some great tools out there including cyber chef, rapid tables, and more. The whole internet is at your fingertips!