PECAN+ CTF returns to the NT in 2026
The 2-day national cyber competition is held on online Saturday 22 August (training) and in-person Sunday 23 August (competition) from 9.30am to 4.30pm each day.
Register your interest to participate today.
The NT PECAN+ CTF team will confirm registrations closer to the event.
The national PECAN+ Capture the Flag (CTF) Cyber Security Competition was established by Edith Cowan University in 2019.
Starting as a Perth versus Canberra (PE-CAN) cyber security competition, it's now delivered in collaboration with universities across all Australian jurisdictions, supported by Australian Government and ICT industry partners.
The competition provides a great opportunity to introduce students to cyber security career pathways.
About the event
The annual PECAN+ Capture the Flag occurs nationally over 2 days.
Aimed at year 9 to 12 senior school students competing in teams of 2-4 members, the goal is to expose students to how the industry defends against cyber criminals.
Working through challenges, the competition provides students the opportunity to test their skills as a cyber defender across:
- cryptography
- digital forensics
- software exploitation
- steganography
- web exploitation.
PECAN+ CTF is a unique opportunity to compete against students across Australia. Competitors can gain valuable exposure to technical cyber incident response.
In 2023, university students across Australia developed the competition challenges and more than 400 school students participated.
The Department of Corporate and Digital Development leads the NT event planning, working with the Department of Education and Training (facilitates for student involvement) and Charles Darwin University in Darwin and Alice Springs.
Explore careers
Get a taste of the exciting and growing world of cyber security. It's a booming industry with thousands of new jobs expected.
There will be opportunities to engage with TAFE and universities and ask questions about the courses on offer leading to this career pathway.
See what is on offer at Charles Darwin University.