The Office of Information Technology at Georgia Tech will host the 2025 Southeastern Cyber Cup, a virtual hackathon competition for participants with interests in IT and cybersecurity. Registration is open to students and professionals at any higher education institution in Georgia, beginning Sept. 17. 

Now in its third iteration, the Southeastern Cyber Cup has novice and experienced-level teams compete in a series of “capture the flag” tasks — technical challenges that simulate real-world cyber scenarios. Participants vie to earn points by identifying hidden flags embedded in each task, with scores tracked live on a digital leaderboard.  

Novice and experienced teams will compete on Oct. 10 and 17. Experienced teams will also compete in a final round on Oct. 24. Teams with the highest scores at the end of their respective rounds will be crowned the winners.  

Players and non-players are also invited to attend the Southeastern Cyber Cub Mini Conference on Oct. 24. The virtual conference will feature cybersecurity-expert panel discussions and a keynote speaker.

“The Cyber Cup is more than a competition — it’s a platform for learning, collaboration, and innovation,” said Joe Lewis, chief information security officer at Georgia Tech. “We’re excited to bring together a diverse community of tech enthusiasts from across the state to sharpen their skills and tackle common cybersecurity challenges.” 

The Cyber Cup will host two optional virtual boot camps before the competition begins, Sept. 19 and 26. The boot camps will help novice and experienced players brush up on skills and learn tools and techniques for competing in the event. 

The 2024 Southeastern Cyber Cup drew nearly 100 participants from 10 institutions across Georgia, including Augusta University, Emory University, and Georgia State University.

To learn more about the Southeastern Cyber Cup, visit oit.gatech.edu/cybercup/2025.