Frequently Asked Questions

Informatics is synonymous with Computer Science, the study of computation, information, and automation. It’s easy to confuse informatics with programming, but that’s just one part of it! Programming is the tool, while informatics is the discipline behind solving problems, designing algorithms, and analysing information. The SIL hopes to give you a beginner-friendly introduction to the world of Informatics — some problems can even be solved with just pen and paper!

Yes! We are supported by the Centre for Nurturing Computing Excellence (CeNCE), which is part of the School of Computing at the National University of Singapore.

No — participation is completely free of charge!

Yes! Although you may have received registration information from your school teachers, you are free to form teams with friends from other schools.

No problem! You are allowed to form teams with students of other levels as long as they are all in pre-university education.

No worries, join our Discord server to team up with other students also looking for a team!

While there are no physical or cash prizes to be won, top teams will be awarded with e-certificates (Gold, Silver, or Bronze) based on their performance in the contest. Additionally, all participating teams will receive a Certificate of Participation.

The SIL is designed to be a beginner-friendly contest. You need not have prior experience in informatics or programming, and will be able to make progress on problems with just mathematical and logical thinking. See the syllabus for more information!

The usage of Generative AI tools during the SIL is strictly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to tools such as ChatGPT, GPT-4o, Deepseek, Copilot, Gemini, Meta Llama LLMs, etc., regardless of whether they are cloud-based, self-hosted, or on-device. If we have strong reason to believe that a team has used such tools, we reserve the right to disqualify that team.

Yes! The SIL is an open-book contest. Feel free to use any online tools or reference materials to aid you in the course of problem solving.

No. You are not allowed to communicate with anyone not from your team regarding the problems during the contest. However, you are allowed — in fact, strongly encouraged — to communicate with your teammates!

Take a look at our sample problems and syllabus to get a feel for the kinds of problems you’ll be expected to solve. We also recommend online resources like usaco.guide and cp-algorithms.com. Still stuck? Feel free to ask for help in our Discord server.