What is the Bebras Challenge? Building Computational Thinking Skills

Every November, millions of students across more than 60 countries participate in the Bebras Challenge—an international initiative to promote computational thinking and informatics. Armenia has been part of this global movement, and Codzilla is proud to coordinate Bebras Armenia.

What is Bebras?

Bebras (Lithuanian for "beaver") started in Lithuania in 2004 and has grown into the largest computational thinking challenge in the world. The challenge presents engaging problems that require logical reasoning, algorithmic thinking, and problem-solving.

Important: No prior programming knowledge is needed to participate!

Unlike programming competitions, Bebras doesn't require coding skills. This makes it accessible to students who haven't yet learned to program, introducing them to computational concepts in an engaging way.

Bebras problems are designed to reflect how computer scientists think:

• Decomposition: Breaking down complex problems.
• Pattern Recognition: Recognizing and using patterns.
• Algorithmic Thinking: Creating step-by-step solutions.
• Abstraction: Focusing on relevant details.

How it Works

Students compete in age-appropriate categories:

• Little Beavers: Grades 1-2
• Benjamins: Grades 3-4
• Cadets: Grades 5-6
• Juniors: Grades 7-8
• Seniors: Grades 9-10
• Elite: Grades 11-12

Participants have 45 minutes to solve 15 problems of varying difficulty, including logical puzzles, optimization challenges, data organization tasks, and algorithm design scenarios.

Codzilla's Role and Participation

Codzilla has been organizing Bebras in Armenia, bringing this valuable experience to thousands of Armenian students.

1. Registration: Schools register through the official Bebras Armenia website.
2. Coordination: Teachers coordinate the challenge during the November competition week.
3. Participation: Students participate online during school hours or from home.
4. Recognition: Top performers are recognized with certificates and awards.

While Bebras doesn't require specific preparation, students benefit from practicing with past problems (available online), developing logical thinking through puzzles and games, and taking computational thinking courses. Students who've learned with us consistently perform well.

Bebras represents what we believe about technology education: it should be engaging, accessible, and focused on thinking skills rather than just technical syntax. We're proud to bring this opportunity to Armenian students.