Bill Gates used to program computers in his spare time, and apparently, he did something right. Get your start in computer science by learning the details of Java programming and try your hand at writing some programs of your own.
Elements of the contest: The Computer Science Contest encourages students to study a broad range of areas in computer science and has both an individual and a team component. Competition consists of a 45-minute written exam for both components, along with a two-hour programming contest for teams. The contest challenges high school students to gain an understanding of the significance of computation as well as the details of Java programming, to be alert to new technology and information, to gain an understanding of the basic principles of computer science, and to get a start in one of the most important fields of the Information Age.