Sponsor or Partner with the Cyber Leaders Challenge.
Our goal is to identify & nurture future cyber leaders who will make a significant impact in the UK cyber security community.
We deliver impact through 3 core pillars:
INSPIRE | We are supporting diversity in cyber through promoting the competition to individuals from a broad range of courses & backgrounds.
EMPOWER | Through practice-based learning, students develop multidisciplinary skills in strategic thinking, policy development, technical understanding alongside strong communication, collaboration and leadership.
CONNECT | We facilitate career opportunities for future cyber leaders to discover routes into the profession through networking with representatives from across the government and industry cyber security community.
How the competition works.
Teams of four university students with an academic mentor compete to advise senior decision makers on how to respond to an evolving national cyber emergency scenario.
They are tasked with presenting their response to a fictional cyber incident scenario to a panel of judges from across government & industry.
Teams compete in Regional Qualifiers taking place across the UK & online, with the top 17 teams progressing to the 2-day National Finals at the iconic BT Tower in London.
2025 Impact &
2026 Goals.
In 2025, over 240 students were selected to compete at Regional Qualifiers, representing 44 UK universities.
45% of competitors identified as female, 49% are from minority ethnicities, 22% are neurodivergent and 14% have a disability - all above industry averages.
In 2026, our goals are to:
Receive applications from teams studying in all the home nations.
Expand our Regional Qualifiers to more locations & more teams.
Grow our Supporting Access Fund to ensure cost is not a barrier to participation.
Enhance student & supporter engagement through activities such as career & skill development sessions throughout the calendar year.
Explore a version of the Cyber Leaders Challenge for early career cyber professionals.
Interested in supporting the competition?
Your organisation can play a critical role in building the pipeline of high quality cyber leadership talent, whilst showcasing your values & expertise to the wider cyber community.
We work with organisations of all sizes that want to support the development of future cyber leaders & access high-quality talent.
Through sponsorship, organisations have a presence at the Autumn Careers Day; Regional Qualifiers; National Finals and VIP Reception as well as ongoing post competition engagement with UK CLC Alumni.
If you'd like to explore Sponsorship or Partnership opportunities, please fill in this form.
If you are interesting in supporting the competition as an individual, please register your interest here.