About this competition
CyberPatriot is the Air Force Association's national youth cyber defense competition. Teams of 2-6 students are given virtual machines (Windows and Linux) riddled with security vulnerabilities, and have a fixed window to find and fix as many as possible while maintaining critical services.
The progression — Open / Platinum / Gold tiers, then state, semifinals, and national finals — is well-structured, and the skills map directly to entry-level cybersecurity careers. Sponsored by Northrop Grumman with significant scholarship pots.
Season & deadlines
Team registration in summer; rounds run October through January.
Season window: October through April.
Cost
Up to $250 — Registration ~$195-$245 per team; many schools cover this cost.
Prizes & outcomes
National championship title, college scholarships, trip to Baltimore finals
Prep resources
- Official rules and game manual · website