WARSAW, Poland, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Three students from St. Petersburg State University of Information Technology, Mechanics & Optics have been named World Champions of the 2012 Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). Sponsored by IBM (NYSE: IBM), the competition, affectionately known as the Battle of the Brains, challenged 112 university teams to solve some of the most challenging computer programming problems they've ever faced in a strict five hour deadline.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

For a documentary about the 2012 ACM-ICPC, please visit IBM's Smarter Planet blog; for photos and video footage, visit ICPC Digital.

Hosted by the University of Warsaw in Poland, students were exposed to the latest in industry advancements such as big data analytics, smarter commerce, cloud computing and social business during contest week, including at a technology seminar and an IBM technology showcase.

The contest challenges students to solve the most computer programming problems in the least amount of time. Demonstrating their elite problem solving and programming skills, St. Petersburg State University of IT, Mechanics & Optics successfully solved nine problems in five hours. The World Champions will return home with "The World's Smartest Trophy," as well as awards and a guaranteed offer of employment or internship with IBM.

"As one of the leading technology companies in the world, IBM recognizes the importance of providing opportunities and inspiration for students to embrace the latest in technology evolution and hone their skills for a global workforce," said Salvatore Vella, vice president of architecture and technology at IBM Software Group. "We are extremely pleased with the level of talent we witnessed at the contest, and we look forward to offering some of these bright problem solvers internships and employment at IBM to help build a smarter, more efficient planet."

In addition to the contest, participants took advantage of professional and cultural opportunities to interact with IBM executives, recruiters and new technologies, as well as their peers from all corners of the globe.

"The ACM ICPC is a wonderful opportunity for students from around the world to come together, collaborate, and exchange different views and experiences," said Dr. Bill Poucher, ICPC Executive Director and Baylor University Professor. "I am excited to see how these students will utilize the amazing knowledge they've gained from this contest and from one another as they continue their academic and professional pursuits."

University of Warsaw, Moscow Institute of Physics & Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University finished the competition in second, third, and fourth places, all earning gold medals, as well as employment or internship offers from IBM.

The regional champions are Harvard University (North America Region); St. Petersburg State University of Information Technology, Mechanics & Optics (Europe Region); German University in Cairo (Africa and the Middle East Region); Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (Latin America Region); Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Asia Region); and University of New South Wales (South Pacific Region).

This year's top twelve teams that received medals are:

    --  St. Petersburg State University of IT, Mechanics & Optics (GOLD, WORLD
        CHAMPION)
    --  University of Warsaw (GOLD, 2nd Place)
    --  Moscow Institute of Physics & Technology (GOLD, 3rd Place)
    --  Shanghai Jiao Tong University (GOLD, 4th Place)
    --  Belarusian State University (SILVER, 5th Place)
    --  Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University (SILVER, 6th Place)
    --  Harvard University (SILVER, 7th Place)
    --  The Chinese University of Hong Kong (SILVER, 8th Place)
    --  University of Waterloo (BRONZE, 9th Place)
    --  Moscow State University (BRONZE, 10th Place)
    --  University of Tokyo (BRONZE, 11th Place)
    --  Belarus State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics (BRONZE,
        12th Place)

The 112 teams that competed in the World Finals in Warsaw represent the next generation of elite computer scientists from more than 25,000 contestants from 2,219 universities located in 85 countries on six continents. Since 1997, the IBM-sponsored ICPC has grown 1,000 percent in size.

The 2013 ACM-ICPC World Finals, sponsored by IBM, will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg State University of Information Technology, Mechanics & Optics, the 2012 champions, will host the contest.

About the ACM ICPC
Headquartered at Baylor University (http://www.baylor.edu), the ACM ICPC is a global competition among the world's university students, nurturing new generations of talent in the science and art of information technology. For more information about the ACM ICPC, including downloadable photographs, and the complete World Finals roster and final standings, visit ICPC headquarters website at http://acmicpc.org. A podcast series "Battle of the Brains" is at http://battleofthebrains.podbean.com. RSS feeds are available. For IBM's insights, visit http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/university/students/contests/acm/index.html. Follow the contest on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/brainbattleicpc.

Media Contact:
Christine Guerrini
For the International Collegiate Programming Contest
Tierney
(215) 790-4365
cguerrini@tierneyagency.com

SOURCE ICPC