Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup
The Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup is a free, online event held in support of the Oregon Cyber Resilience Summit. The objective of the OC3 is to provide hands-on cybersecurity learning and networking opportunities for students from higher education and high school institutions to interact with professionals from the higher education, public and private sectors in Oregon. The event allows for participants to sharpen their cybersecurity skills while creating mentorship opportunities for students. Teams compete in multiple levels of capture the flag events during a jamboree round with the championship event taking place prior to the conference. Scholarships and other prizes are awarded to the top team(s).
Registration has closed for 2025. Please join us in 2026!
Mission
- Encourage the participation of cybersecurity talent by providing a hands-on educational opportunity
- Promote team-building while also cultivating a mentorship and networking opportunity across teams.
- Promote cybersecurity as a career option for students
Expectations
- Have fun!
- Prior experience in cybersecurity CTF events isn’t required; the event is structured to progressively teach techniques
- If you have some experience, consider taking the opportunity to team up with others who haven’t to help provide mentorship and an introduction to this style of event
- Unlike many CTFs, this is structured as a team event to facilitate mentorship and networking. The expectation is that all team members actively work together to solve the CTF
Teams
3 member teams from High School, Community Colleges, Universities and Public- or Private-sector institutions in Oregon are invited to participate in the Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup, hosted by the University of Oregon.
Teams can register for one of the three leagues:
- High School League – covering teams with students from any high school in the state of Oregon.
- College League – covering teams with the students from any 2-year/4-year public/private colleges in the state of Oregon.
- Professional League – covering teams from any public/private organizations, including educational institutions, with offices in the state of Oregon.
Each team will be comprised of three members to facilitate the formation of inter-league teams for Round Two.
Gameplay
- Round One – The Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup Jamboree:
- Teams will compete in one of the following leagues, based off team members:
- High School
- College
- Professional
- The top three teams from each League will move on to Round Two
- Teams will compete in one of the following leagues, based off team members:
- Round Two – The Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup Championship:
- Members from ranking teams in Round One will be shuffled across new teams to promote networking and increase learning opportunities.
- Teams will be comprised of one high school student, one college student, and one professional.
OC3 Schedule
- Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup Jamboree 2025: Professional League
09/19/2025: 11am-2pm PDT
- Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup Jamboree 2025: College Student League
09/20/2025: 2pm-5pm PDT
- Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup Jamboree 2025: High School Student League
09/20/2025: 10am-1pm PDT
- The Oregon Cybersecurity Challenge Cup Championship 2025
09/26/2025: 11am-7pm PDT
(The championship round will only take about 3 hours. The larger window is to accomodate for team coordination).
Prizes
In addition to ultimate bragging rights, the first-place teams in the College and High School leagues of Round One will receive a cash award contribution to their scholarship fund while the top three teams of the Professional league will receive a cash award.
| High School | College | Professional | |
| 1st Place | $300 | $500 | $100 |
| 2nd Place | $200 | $300 | $75 |
| 3rd Place | $100 | $200 | $50 |
The top three teams in Round Two will be awarded Championship Medals at the Oregon Cyber Resilience Summit.
FAQ
What do I need in order to play?
All you need is a computer (ideally 5-6 years new), an internet browser and internet connection (50MBPS or faster)
Do I need to download anything beforehand?
No, no tools or other specialized software is needed. The competition will take place in a CTF platform that has all of the tools you will need.
What is a CTF?
A Capture The Flag (CTF) platform is a system used to host cybersecurity competitions where participants solve challenges to find hidden flags. These platforms simulate real-world scenarios for individuals to practice and improve their information security skills.
What can I do to prepare beforehand?
The platform we will use has instructions and pointers for how to complete the challenges. It may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with general Linux commands. We may suggest a google search of "Using Linux for CTF challenges" and perusing the results.
How do I enter? Is it free?
It’s completely free! All you need to do to enter is register.
The OC3 organizing committee would love it if you helped us reach Oregon high school and college students. Please feel free to link our website and flyer to potential, excited participants! Click on the preview below to download.
OC3 Sponsors
With OC3 Platform provided by Cisco
