We founded the Singapore Informatics League (SIL) to address a gap in Singapore’s Informatics Olympiad (IO) landscape — a lack of accessible opportunities for those just starting their journey in computer science.
Today, the National Olympiad in Informatics (NOI) is the flagship local IO competition. It also serves as Singapore’s selection round for the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), the world’s most prestigious computer science competition. As a result, it must be rigorous, and rightly so. (Gold medal cutoffs may not even exceed 200 out of 500 total points!) But this level of difficulty, while necessary for its purpose, makes NOI daunting and less accessible to newcomers who are just beginning their journey into informatics.
SIL was designed as a stepping stone to the NOI. We offer a team-based, fast-paced competition that welcomes participants of all backgrounds and experience levels. By lowering barriers to entry and providing problems that range from beginner-friendly to challenging, SIL aims to build confidence and foster a deeper interest in the field.
We also believe that informatics can and should be fun — and inclusive. The contest format of SIL presents a focus on teamwork and collaborative thinking, capturing the joy of solving tricky problems together with your friends!
This initiative would not have been possible without the support of the Centre for Nurturing Computing Excellence (CeNCE), which also organises NOI. CeNCE was established by the NUS School of Computing to promote computing excellence among both pre-university and university-level students. We’re deeply grateful for their trust, guidance, and shared commitment to nurturing computing talent at all levels.
Our thanks also go to Jane Street, a quantitative trading firm and liquidity provider with a unique focus on technology and collaborative problem solving. Their generous sponsorship has been key to bringing our vision for SIL to life.
Whether you’re a seasoned programmer or simply curious about what informatics is, we hope SIL offers you the chance to learn, collaborate, and discover the joy of problem solving.
Meet the team
SIL is an initiative built from the ground up by a team passionate about computer science. Meet the people behind SIL!
- The Planning Committee charts the overall direction of SIL, manages administrative matters, and liaises with external parties.
- The Scientific Committee designs the contest syllabus, curates and tests problems, and ensures they meet high standards of quality and educational value.
- The Technical Committee develops and maintains the infrastructure behind SIL, including the judging platform and website, to ensure a smooth and reliable contest experience.
- The Publicity Committee produces outreach materials to engage both new and returning participants, and coordinates the timing and placement of communications to maximise visibility.
- The Data Analysts build automated pipelines to process the large volumes of data collected during the contest, and audit them to ensure accuracy and integrity.
