UniVsThreats 26 Quals
2026 Qualifiers
REGISTRATIONS ARE OPEN!
👉 Register now on our platform to secure your spot in the UniVsThreats 2026 Qualifiers.
Reflecting on UniVsThreats 25
If we look at the numbers from last year, UniVsThreats 25 brought together 740 participants across 458 teams, with 633 competing online and 107 attending on-site, representing 69 countries. The event included 433 university students, 103 high school students, and 204 participants in the open category. These results give us strong confidence as we move into the 2026 edition.
Alongside these numbers, last year’s UniVsThreats 25 was officially ranked on CTFtime with a weight of 18.35.
We received a lot of honest and valuable feedback regarding challenge quality, platform stability, difficulty balance, team size, and overall organization. We’ve taken all of this seriously, and for the 2026 edition we’re focused on improving every aspect of the competition — from challenges and infrastructure to rules and participant experience.
EVENT OVERVIEW
UniVsThreats CTF is an engaging cybersecurity competition organized by the West University of Timișoara (UVT), now proudly entering its third year. Tailored specifically for university students and high schoolers passionate about cybersecurity, the event offers the opportunity to exercise your cybersecurity skills in a competitive atmosphere.
This year’s competition will have online Qualifications and Finals which will take place on-site in Timișoara! So grab your friends, and join to be part of the growing UVT-CTF community!
Join our discord server for communication and announcements during the event! Click HERE!
Start Time: Fri, 27 Feb. 2026, 08:00 UTC
End Time: Sat, 28 Feb. 2026, 08:00 UTC
Max Team Size: Unlimited (up to 4 register for finals to be present on-site)
This CTF is open to everyone, but we’re placing a special spotlight on student competitors — both high school (🇷🇴 to qualify for finals) and university/college teams (worldwide).
📌 Important Clarifications: Romanian 🇷🇴 entries only for the High School category.
🧑🎓 Mixed teams (with both high school and university students) will be ranked in the University category.
👩🏫 Middle school teams (grades 5–8) are eligible for High School prizes.
❌ Travel & accommodation costs are not covered for the finals.
QUALIFICATIONS
Top 8 teams from the University category and Top 8 from the High School category will qualify for the finals, which will take place on the 3rd-4th of May in Timișoara, Romania.
If you are not a student or a highschooler, you may still participate for fun in our open category, but you won’t be eligible for the finals/prizes.
PRIZES & AWARDS
💰 Prize Pool: To Be Announced
📜 The on-site Winners in the Top 3 High School teams will receive admission equivalency diplomas for each team member, granting direct acceptance into UVT - Faculty of Computer Science!
RULES
To keep the competition fair, challenging, and fun for everyone, please follow these rules:
Respect the Infrastructure: Do not perform automated scanning, denial of service or other types of attacks on the CTF platform. Hacking is strictly limited to the challenges.
No Collaboration Between Teams: Sharing solutions, flags, hints, or working together across team boundaries is not allowed.
One Team Per Person: A participant may only be a member of one team for the duration of the event.
Registration: Teams must register with accurate education status — either high school or university/college.
📢 Any violation of these rules may result in disqualification. The organizers reserve the right to adjust prizes or rankings in case of suspicious activity.