Scottish schoolgirls succeed in UK cyber security competition

Pupils at nine schools in Scotland have been successful in reaching the semi-final stage of the 2021 CyberFirst Girls Competition, run by part of GCHQ.

Girls in Scotland have demonstrated their digital skills and codebreaking prowess by seeing off competition from thousands of rivals in the UK’s flagship cyber security contest.

Pupils at nine schools in Scotland have been successful in reaching the semi-final stage of the 2021 CyberFirst Girls Competition, run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ.

More than 6,500 girls nationwide entered this year’s qualifying round, with teams from more than 600 schools tackling online cyber security puzzles for a chance to be named local champions and progress to the UK Grand Final.

The highest scoring teams will next take on their rivals in semi-finals in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and English regions. Schools that have already accepted their place in the virtual semi-final include: Hyndland Secondary School in Glasgow and Carluke High School in Carluke.

The NCSC is highlighting the strong nationwide participation in the contest and the success of semi-finalists today on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The CyberFirst Girls Competition is aimed at girls aged 12 to 13 starting to think about what subjects to take for their initial qualifications and its ambition is to inspire them to consider a career in cyber security – an industry where women are still under-represented.

NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, Chris Ensor said: “On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re pleased to say that thousands of girls came forward to compete in this year’s CyberFirst Girls Competition and we congratulate the top teams which now go forward into the semi-finals.

“These girls have opened the door to what could one day be an exciting and rewarding career, where more female representation is undoubtedly needed.

“We owe a special thanks to teachers who encouraged pupils to take up this fun opportunity to engage with – and hopefully be inspired by – cyber security.”

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: “It is marvellous to see so many girls showing an interest in cyber security and well done to those who made it to the next round.

“The cyber security industry needs talented people and I hope everyone who took part had fun and felt inspired to consider an exciting career cracking codes, disrupting cyber attacks and protecting our online spaces.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: “The UK Government is proud to be working with Scottish schools to support girls into cyber security.

“This competition is a great opportunity for girls right across the UK to learn together and develop digital skills for a 21st century workforce.

“Best of luck to the Scottish pupils who have worked incredibly hard to get this far.”

Since launching in 2017, more than 37,000 girls have taken part in the CyberFirst Girls Competition.

This year’s semi-final rounds will take place simultaneously on Friday 19 March in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and five English regions: the North of England, Central England, the South West, the South East and London.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The CyberFirst Girls Competition is a fantastic opportunity for girls to develop new skills and get a taste of just how rewarding a career in cyber security can be.

“Good luck to all those taking part this year.”

The challenges, covering cryptography, logic and networking, will be set by the NCSC with input from cyber security industry partners. The winners of these events will earn their place at the Grand Final in April, where the UK champions will be crowned.

More information about the competition can be found on the NCSC’s website

CyberFirst Girls Competition

CyberFirst Girls Competition 2021 banner: The story starts with you.

Registration for the CyberFirst Girls Competition 2021 is now open.

The National Cyber Security Centre is working hard to get more girls interested in a career in cyber security. The CyberFirst Girls Competition provides a fun but challenging environment to inspire the next generation of young women to consider a career in cyber security.

The competition is a team event, with each one made up of 4 female students from Year 8 in England and Wales, Year 9 in Northern Ireland and S2 in Scotland.

It consists of three distinct phases:

  • the online qualifying round to identify the top teams in each home nation and English region
  • the semi-final where teams will battle it out in their areas to qualify for a place in the Grand Final
  • the Grand Final where the top ten teams drawn from the regions in England, and from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will gather to compete for the title of UK CyberFirst Girls Competition Winners.

Whatever your ability, from beginner to expert, the CyberFirst Girls Competition is an opportunity to learn something new about cyber security.

2021 Girls Competition key dates:

30th November 2020 – team registration opens

1200 (noon) 25th January – 1200 (noon) 3rd February 2021 – online qualifying round

12th March 2021 – Home nations and English regions semi-final

26th April 2021 – Grand Final

We will be sticking to the same format as last year which seeks to encourage and recognise participation from all parts of the UK, whilst making some changes to ensure the competition can run in a Covid-secure way.​

To begin with, there will be an online qualifier round lasting 10 days, followed by a semi-final round and a Grand Final.​

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.


What you need to know:

  1. Teams can … register now! Registration opened on 30th November, and stays open until the qualifier closes on 3rd February 2021. We would recommend registering ahead of the online qualifier though. 
  2. Teams are……made up of up to four female students in Year 8, S2 or Year 9 (NI).​
  3. Teams need……to be supported by a responsible adult appointed by the school who is aged over 18 years and who can act as the team guardian.​
  4. Team guardians……do not need to have any cyber knowledge or be an IT or computer science teacher. Their role is to register the teams and facilitate access to the competition.​
  5. Schools can……enter as many teams as they like if they fit the qualifying criteria (see above).
  6. The semi-final round…..will take place during the school day.​ Students will need to be taken off the day’s timetable should they qualify.
  7. The Grand Final……will take place during the school day.​ Students will need to be taken off the day’s timetable should they qualify.