PAIO 2025 Regulations

Official competition regulations are available in multiple languages:

Participation in the Pan African Informatics Olympiad (PAIO) was open to:

• Students enrolled in secondary education or below in an African country during the competition period.

• Students must not have begun their university studies at the time of the competition.

• Students must be under 20 years of age on July 1st of the competition year.

Each participating country must adhere to the following team structure:

• Six contestants

• One team leader responsible for the preparation of the team.

• One deputy team leader to assist the team leader.

• Optional observers (as permitted by the host country).

The competition consists of:

• Two online competition days each with 3-4 algorithmic problems to be solved in 5 hours.

• Contestants worked individually on problems using their own computers.

• Solutions were submitted through an online judging system that provides immediate feedback.

The following programming languages are allowed in the competition:

• C++ (g++ compiler)

• Java (OpenJDK)

• Python (Python 3)

Contestants may use standard libraries provided with these languages, but external libraries are prohibited.

Individual and team achievements were recognized as follows:

• Individual medals are awarded to approximately 50% of contestants. Top 1/12 Gold, next 1/6 Silver, next 1/4 Bronze.

• Country rankings are determined by the sum of the scores of all team members.

• Special awards may be given for outstanding solutions to specific problems.

All participants are expected to adhere to the following code of conduct:

• Participants must act with integrity and honesty at all times.

• Any form of cheating or plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

• Participants must treat others with respect and courtesy.

• Any form of harassment or discrimination will not be tolerated.