Congratulations to the Quantum Marshmallow Computing Queens – a team of four Bristol Grammar School Year 8 girls – who have qualified for the national final of the CyberFirst Girls Competition.
Now in its fifth year, the competition – run by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ – aims to inspire girls to pursue their interests in technology and consider a career in cyber security.
More than 6,500 girls entered the 2021 contest, and the BGS team – Anya, Ellie, Kandara and Miranda – had already successfully competed in preliminary rounds to reach the semi-final, held last Friday (19 March).
In the semi-final, more than 120 teams across the UK and Northern Ireland took on a series of cyber security puzzles covering cryptography, logic and networking. We are delighted to report that the Quantum Marshmallows finished as the highest scoring team in the South West to qualify for the Grand Final, being held next month.
They will now compete against nine other teams as they tackle cyber challenges at the virtual Grand Final. The 40 finalists will face new tasks testing their understanding of cyber security and putting the skills they have developed during the competition into practice. Each team will also receive a drop crate, containing tech equipment and physical challenges, to help them complete the puzzles.
We are incredibly proud of the girls’ achievements in reaching the final of this challenging and prestigious competition and wish them the best of luck in the Grand Final on Monday 26 April.