PakCrypt-2024 FINAL
Finalists and Winners
PakCrypt 2024 finals were held on November 13, 2024, at Air University Islamabad. There were two tracks of competition: Professional and Amateur. After a 4-hour competition to solve challenging crypto-related problems, the top five positions in each track were announced. The next day, on November 14, 2024, a grand closing ceremony was held, where prizes were awarded. The prize money varied between Rs. 20,000 (runner-ups) to Rs. 250,000 (winners) depending on the track and attained position.
Professional Track
The professional competition is an individual event. The runner-ups below are in no specific order.
| Name | Association | Home Town | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syed Basim Mehmood | GIKI | Karachi | 1st |
| Mehmood ul Hassan | FAST | Islamabad | 2nd |
| Waleed Ahmed | NASTP | Rawalpindi | 3rd |
| Maheen Khalid | UET, Taxila | Rawalpindi | 4th |
| Muhammad Ahmed Raza | Bahria University | Rawalpindi | 5th |
| Mehak Usman | NUST | Karachi | runner-up |
| Nasir Ali | Bahria University | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Duaa Aamir | FAST | Rawalpindi | runner-up |
| Muhammad Moarij Ali | FAST | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Umer Farooq | FAST | Muzaffarabad | runner-up |
| Burhan ud din | FAST | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Warda Altaf | Jinnah University | Karachi | runner-up |
| Syeda Afia Shah | UET, Peshawar | Peshawar | runner-up |
| Muhammad Zeeshan | Islamia University | Lodhran | runner-up |
Amateur Track
The amateur competition is a team event with two people per team. Team assignments are determined solely by the PakCrypt Organization Committee, with efforts to pair participants from the same institute and based on similar scores from previous rounds. The runner-ups below are in no specific order.
| Name (Team) | Association | Home Town | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| M. Ahmad Bhatti (Quest) | Karachi Grammar School | Karachi | 1st |
| M. Safiullah (Quest) | Mehran UET | Hyderabad | 1st |
| Ahmed Imran Malik (SS Blue) | Sundar STEM School | Lahore | 2nd |
| Muhammad Aneeq (SS Blue) | SundarSTEM School | Lahore | 2nd |
| Syed Badar Ul Islam Shah (Eagles) | LGS, Wah Cantt | Haripur | 3rd |
| Khawaja Assam Arif (Eagles) | Sundar STEM School | Lahore | 3rd |
| Muhammad Saad Munir (Falcon) | Aitchison College Lahore | Lahore | 4th |
| Sabih Ahmed (Falcon) | Siddeeq Public School | Rawalpindi | 4th |
| Syed Shuja Haider (SS Red) | SundarSTEM School | Lahore | 5th |
| Sami Shahbaz (SS Red) | SundarSTEM School | Lahore | 5th |
| Zainab Kayani | FAST | Rawalpindi | runner-up |
| Tooba Naeem Sattar | CITY School | Faisalabad | runner-up |
| Syed Ali Shah | FAST | Rawalpindi | runner-up |
| Syed M. Kazim Raza Jafferi | SuperNova School | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Ayesha Salyana | Siddeeq Public School | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Abiha Azhar | Siddeeq Public School | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Hissan Kibria | Cadet College Hassanabdal | Hassanabdal | runner-up |
| Mohammad Arslan | Cadet College Hasanabdal | Hasanabdal | runner-up |
| Muhammad Arhum Shahid | SundarStem School | Lahore | runner-up |
| Maisha Shaikh | Siddeeq Public School | Islamabad | runner-up |
| M. Ghulam Mohiuddin | SundarSTEM | Lahore | runner-up |
| RUBAB IBRAHIM | Islamabad Career College | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Wanya Sajjad | Siddeeq Public School | Rawalpindi | runner-up |
| Fatima Khalid | Punjab College | Islamabad | runner-up |
| Abeeha Noor | KIPS College | Wah cantt | runner-up |
Our History
PakCrypt competition was initiated in 2022 to promote young talent in the field of cryptography. Last two events of PakCrypt competition in 2022 and 2023 were a great success! It is truly inspiring to see bright minds across Pakistan come together and showcase their talent in the field of cryptography.
The PakCrypt 2023 competition included more than 500 participants from all regions of Pakistan competing in the three-round competition that culminated in a final round on the NCCS campus. The finalist teams competed for cash prizes totaling Rs. 1.4M, but the competition was much more than this. It provided young minds with opportunities to connect with industry experts, receive job offers, funding for further research, and engage in mutual collaboration.
About PakCrypt 2024 Competition
PakCrypt 2024 is a two-track, three-round competition that comprises both online and on-campus rounds. The competition aims to bring together talented minds of Pakistan around the world to showcase their skills and compete for cash prizes in both professional and amateur tracks. Brochure
Round 1: Registration
The first round is open to all Pakistani nationals here. It involves a registration process coupled with a screening test. The registration process collects basic information about candidates, while the test serves as an entry-level filter. Top qualifiers from Round 1 will be announced by the start of October and invited to compete in the second round.
Round 2: Online Competition
The second round of PakCrypt will be conducted online. It is planned to take place in middle of October. Participants who qualify from Round 1 will have the opportunity to display their skills and compete against other talented individuals. The qualifiers of Round 2 will be given opportunity to register for Round 3 as a team of 1-2 persons (both of whom must be Round 3 qualified). Note that prizes will be equally shared among winning team members.
Round 3: On-Campus Final
The final round of PakCrypt 2024 will be held on campus at NCCS, Air University, Islamabad in Nov 2024. The top teams from the previous rounds will compete for the prize and prestige.
Please visit the Crypto Corner at the NCCS website regularly for further details & announcements.
Instructions
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The registration for Round 1 is estimated to take approximately 30 minutes. It’s general math aptitude test. Plan accordingly.
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The concepts in following resources will help to unlock many riddles of Round 2. Stu Schwartz: Cryptology for Beginners (Amateur) W. Stalling: Cryptography and Network Security 7e and JP Aumasson: Serious Cryptography (Professional)
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For Round 3, if you are coming out of the twin-cities, there are a number of slots for free accommodation. Please contact the organizers if you are selected for Round 3, at least 2 weeks in advance.
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No TA / DA is admissible for Round 3 participants, however, food and accommodation may be arranged for qualified top teams. Further, each finalist team that does not fall in top-3 slots will receive an encouragement cash prize.
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For Amateur Track in Round 3, a teacher of corresponding institute may accompany as part of the student team, however, the teacher will not be allowed to help students in Round 3 challenges.
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The amount of prize money, allied benefits, and distribution formula will be announced prior to Round 3; At baseline, Rs. 1.7M is already allocated by PakCrypt organizers for prizes.
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All Pakistani nationals, except employees of intelligence/sensitive orgs, are allowed to participate. In case of confusion, contact PakCrypt organizers at 2024@pakcrypt.org
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For Amateurs, the upper age limit is 20-year. (born after 01-Jul-2004)
PakCrypt Participants Data Collection and Usage Agreement
By participating in PakCrypt, you agree to the collection and use of your personal information by the PakCrypt Organization Committee for the following purposes:
- Verification of participants for Age / Association / Nationality / Place of Residence / etc.
- Informing participants of PakCrypt Updates
- Distributing prizes to participants in the final round. Personal information will not be shared with any commercial entity or used for any other purposes without your consent.
Disclaimer
The terms and conditions of the PakCrypt 2024 Competition, including dates and prize money, are subject to change by the PakCrypt organizers without explicit prior notice. The organizers’ selected jury has discretionary powers for decision-making including awarding points and the selection of winners. All media, information, and data in this brochure have been collected and assembled by anonymous volunteers. Therefore, the PakCrypt organizers or NCCS bear no responsibility for copyright infringements or any other similar legal claims.
Sample Questions
Contact 2024@pakcrypt.org for any query. Response time is approx 48 hours.