At the end of November, two DTU teams took part in the Northwestern Europe Regional Contest (NWERC) 2025 in Karlsruhe, a prestigious programming competition. The event gathered hundreds of talented students from across the region, all racing against the clock to solve 12 challenging algorithmic problems within five hours.
For the DTU students, this was their debut. The teams solved five and four problems respectively – a strong performance given that none of the students had ever competed at this level before.
“It didn’t earn them a top spot, but I’m extremely proud of their achievements. It’s impressive when you think about the fact that they had never tried anything like this before,” said Inge Li Gørtz, Professor at DTU Compute and Coach for the teams.
“Everyone came home happy and eager for more. Several of the students are only halfway through their bachelor’s degree, so this is a great starting point for the coming years. This year was all about learning how it works.”
“An absolute rush!”
Pedro Diniz, a third-semester General Engineering student specialising in Cyber Systems, described the experience as unforgettable:
“Taking part in NWERC 2025 was a surreal experience. The atmosphere was incredible; we met so many brilliant people and interacted with world-leading companies to understand their real-world challenges.”
“The contest was an absolute rush! It was challenging, intense, and most importantly fun. There is a special energy when you're cracking tough problems in a hall with hundreds of other programmers as the clock ticks down. That is exactly what we want to bring back home by setting up and participating in training groups and workshops,” he said.
Two Danish medals
While DTU didn’t take home medals this time, Denmark had plenty to celebrate.
Out of 11 Danish teams from six universities, Aarhus University claimed gold by solving 11 problems and finishing third overall, while the University of Copenhagen earned bronze with 10 problems solved and a ninth-place finish.
Both teams now advance to the European contest.
“Two Danish medals! That’s truly impressive and not something we usually see. Congratulations to Aarhus and Copenhagen,” said Inge Li Gørtz.
Looking ahead, the Danish universities are planning joint training camps and activities over the next year to strengthen collaboration and inspire more students to join the world of competitive programming.
Have a look at the scoreboard https://scoreboard.2025.nwerc.eu/
