IBM International Business Machines Corp

MARRAKECH, Morocco, May 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A trio of students from St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics have emerged as World Champions of the 39^th Annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) World Finals sponsored by IBM (NYSE: IBM). The contest was held Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco and hosted by Mohammed V University, Al Akhawayn University, Mundiapolis University, and The Moroccan ACM.

Headquartered at Baylor University and known as the "Battle of the Brains," the world's oldest and most prestigious programming competition challenged 128 university teams, each comprised of three students, to solve a series of complex real-world problems in just five hours. Demonstrating the elite talent of its team members, St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics successfully solved all 13 problems to earn the victory. The World Champions return home with "The World's Smartest Trophy."

"The ACM-ICPC is a wonderful opportunity for students from around the world to convene, collaborate, and exchange different views and experiences," said Dr. Bill Poucher, ICPC Executive Director and Baylor University Professor. "I am excited to see what these students will do with the mastery they've gained from this contest and from each other as they continue their academic and professional pursuits as ACM members."

"IBM values this opportunity to assemble the brightest students from the world's leading universities and expose them to the latest technological innovations," said Gerald Lane, ACM-ICPC Sponsorship Executive and Director, IBM Open Technologies & IP. "These students are the future leaders of our industry and we are committed to fostering their development as they prepare to enter the global workforce."

Moscow State University, The University of Tokyo, and Tsinghua University finished the competition in second, third, and fourth places, all earning coveted gold medals. The regional champions are University of California at Berkeley (North America Region); St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics (Europe Region); The American University in Cairo (Africa and the Middle East Region); Universidad de Buenos Aires - FCEN (Latin America Region); The University of Tokyo (Asia Region); and University of New South Wales (South Pacific Region).

The top twelve teams received medals:

• St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics (GOLD, 2015 WORLD CHAMPION)
• Moscow State University (GOLD, 2^nd Place)
• The University of Tokyo (GOLD, 3^rd Place)
• Tsinghua University (GOLD, 4^th Place)
• Peking University (SILVER, 5^th Place)
• University of California at Berkeley (SILVER, 6^th Place)
• University of Zagreb (SILVER, 7^th Place)
• Charles University in Prague (SILVER, 8^th Place)
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University (BRONZE, 9^th Place)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BRONZE, 10^th Place)
• Korea University (BRONZE, 11^th, Place)
• University of Warsaw (BRONZE, 12^th Place)

The 128 World Finalists emerged from local and regional ICPC competitions this past fall. Initially, selection took place from a field of more than 300,000 students in computing disciplines worldwide. A record number of students advanced to the regional level, as 38,160 contestants from 2,534 universities in 101 countries on six continents competed at more than 450 sites, all with the goal of earning one of the coveted invitations to Morocco.

About the ACM-ICPC
Headquartered at Baylor University, 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 high resolution photographs and videos, visit ICPC headquarters and ICPCNews. Additional information can be found via the "Battle of the Brains" podcast series. For IBM's insights, visit the company's University Relations page. Follow the contest on Twitter @BrainBattleICPC and @ICPCNews, #ICPC2015. For more information, see www.icpc2015.ma.

About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, with more than 100,000 members, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers, professionals, and students to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking. For more information, see www.acm.org.

Media Contact – North America:
Callie Smith, Tierney Communications
+1 (215) 790-4401
csmith@tierneyagency.com

Media Contact – North Africa:
Nadia Kallel, IBM Communications
+ 212 616191463
nkallel@tn.ibm.com

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SOURCE ICPC