I just wanted to wish all of the contestants good luck, and to encourage anyone who isn't sure about entering to give it a chance.
It's not an easy thing to take a coding project from an initial idea all the way to completion, even for experienced developers. You may find yourself frustrated, stuck, or unsure if you want to continue. This is normal, and that frustration can turn into a wonderful learning experience that will help you for the rest of your life. If you feel like you've bitten off more than you can tackle, take a step back and try to narrow your scope until you've found a challenging project that fits your skill set.
Having your code be judged by others can sound scary, but don't worry: you can only learn from this experience. Not all of you can win prizes, and I'd recommend focusing not on what can win first place, but on what can make you a better coder. Even if you don't get a shiny new calculator, you're still a winner if you learned something new.
It's not an easy thing to take a coding project from an initial idea all the way to completion, even for experienced developers. You may find yourself frustrated, stuck, or unsure if you want to continue. This is normal, and that frustration can turn into a wonderful learning experience that will help you for the rest of your life. If you feel like you've bitten off more than you can tackle, take a step back and try to narrow your scope until you've found a challenging project that fits your skill set.
Having your code be judged by others can sound scary, but don't worry: you can only learn from this experience. Not all of you can win prizes, and I'd recommend focusing not on what can win first place, but on what can make you a better coder. Even if you don't get a shiny new calculator, you're still a winner if you learned something new.