UK Cyber Leaders Challenge

The cyber strategy competition for UK higher-education students.

Get Involved as a Student

Inspire

Inspiring students from diverse backgrounds to see opportunities in cyber.

Empowering students to develop human-centric & leadership skills.

Connecting future talent to a community of government, industry & academia.

Empower

Connect

Support as a Cyber Professional

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2026 Recap

Scenario Theme | Electrical Grids

1st | Phishin' Impossible | BT Apprentices at Middlesex University & Northumbria University

2nd | 404 Brain Not Found | Cardiff University, a Volkswagen Apprentice at Cranfield University, University of South Wales

3rd | QSec Phishermen | The Queen's University of Belfast

Look back on the 2026 competition

Networking opportunities.

Access to industry & government professionals to build valuable connections.

Practical learning.

Engaging in a realistic national cyber emergency scenario to apply academic knowledge & develop leaderships skills.

Career development.

Guidance and support for students to navigate potential cyber career paths.

Developing future cyber leaders.

Uniting government, industry, and academia to nurture diverse talent in cybersecurity through hands-on learning and professional networking opportunities.

Get involved

How it works.

Applications.

Oct - Dec 2026

Students form teams of 4, recruit a coach (usually a university lecturer or apprenticeship manager) and apply to the competition.

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Regional Qualifiers.

Early Feb 2027

Teams put their skills to the test by presenting their response to Scenario Stage 1 to a panel of expert judges.

National Final.

Mid Mar 2027

The top 17 teams compete in London to be crowned Champions. Over two-days, there are 3 knockout rounds with increasing time pressure.

Ongoing Community.

All competitors are invited to join the Cyber Leaders Challenge Alumni community, supporting each other to progress in our cyber careers.

Find out more

Get involved.

A community of government, industry & academia supporting the next generation of UK cyber leaders.

Lecturers.

Coach a team of students to apply their academic knowledge in practice-based learning.

Students.

Apply multidisciplinary skills in a real-world national cyber emergency scenario.

Cyber Professionals.

Organisations.

Access an incredible talent pipeline of the most promising future cyber leaders in the UK.

Support higher-education students from a variety of backgrounds to launch their career in cyber.