Symkaton 5.0

A contest about a smart approach to engineering

Exit the lab, enter the data center. Meet the power of ICM UW.

About Symkaton

Symkaton is an annual competition for students at technical universities to promote creative approaches for solving engineering problems. The event highlights the importance of computer simulations as a key tool for the modern engineer.

Qualified teams have 24 hours to confront a task revealed on the day of the finals.This year, you are not just solving a task. You are gaining direct access to the know-how of experts from a center that sets the standards in Big Data and HPC .

“We have no experience in this specific sector which gives us more opportunity to prove our engineering capabilities.”
Ashiwn Karthikeyan, team KNR Drone, Politechnika Warszawska

ICM as a co-organizer of the 5.0 Symkaton

The Interdisciplinary Center for Mathematical and Computational Modeling (ICM) at the University of Warsaw is a leading European supercomputing center that sets the standard in the fields of Big Data, HPC, and advanced numerical simulations. As an institution bridging science and the technology sector, ICM manages infrastructure with massive computing power and develops key predictive models used daily by millions of Poles.

Their role as a co-organizer of this year’s Symkaton elevates the event to the highest level of expertise, offering participants direct access to unique know-how. This partnership ensures that the competition tasks are grounded in real-world technological challenges. For the finalists, it is an opportunity to meet some of the country’s top experts. Through this collaboration, we are moving beyond the academic environment and combining the passion of young talent with the experience of digital transformation leaders.

How to participate?

Registration of teams

16.04 - 30.06.2026

All teams who would like to participate in the 5th edition of the Symkaton competition must submit their applications by June 30th, 2026. To download the form, click here.

Qualifications

16.04 - 30.06.2026

Qualification takes place remotely, and teams send their submissions online. The solution must be designed and tested by participants in the Ansys simulation environment. A detailed task description will be sent after team registration. Fill out the application form.

Results of Qualification

06.07.2026

The best ten teams will be selected for the finals on the basis of simulation reports evaluated by the competition jury.

Training

July 2026

We want to ensure that all competitors have a level playing field; therefore, participants who advance to the second stage will be able to take part in free workshops in July 2026. These sessions will focus on using high-performance computing (HPC) resources and the licenses provided by ICM UW.

Final

28-29.09.2026

The finals will be held at ICM – Interdisciplinary Center for Mathematical and Computational Modeling – University of Warsaw, and the teams selected in the qualifiers will have 24 hours to solve the task revealed on the day of the finals. The winning team will be selected based on the jury’s evaluation of the simulation.

Main Award

The winners of the 5th Symkaton will receive a cash prize of
PLN 15,000 to their further scientific goals.

Who can participate?

Symkaton is a competition created for students of technical universities who want to test their abilities in creative engineering problem solving. If you are an student of technical university or master’s degree, passionate about modern technologies, and Ansys software is no stranger to you, this challenge is for you!

You just need to gather a team of 2-3 people to take on a passionate task together and prove your skills.

Important: you don’t have to be an expert – basic knowledge of Ansys software is enough!

„You have to build on what you already know how to do, what you’ve already seen; a gut feeling that something might work is much more important at this point than accurately calculating things over and over again.”

Konrad Staruch – team Averege Rzadka Siatka Enjoyers, AGH

How to become a participant?

Register a team by filling out the contact form at the bottom of the page. Once the team's application is verified, a detailed description of the qualifying task will be provided.

Prepare your competition project using Ansys software.

A student license is available free of charge at https://www.ansys.com/academic/students

Upload the project files to the shared drive

Mentors

Mentorship for the competition is provided by

Maciej Borek, M.Sc.

Symkom

Krzysztof Wiński, M.Sc.

Symkom

Michał Hermanowicz, Ph. D.

ICM UW

Training sessions for finalists

A basic understanding of Ansys software is definitely enough to give the competition a try. However, we know that emotions can run high during the 24-hour final. That’s why, to help you prepare as best as possible, we’ve organized training sessions for finalists during the Symkom Summer Simulation Academy.

The training sessions will take place before the final, and the program will be designed so that you can gain the skills needed to complete the final task.

„To be honest, we didn't really know how to prepare for this. We're mostly relying on what we've been able to do so far.”

Konrad Staruch – team Averege Rzadka Siatka Enjoyers AGH

Organizers

Contest partners

Why do companies invest in young engineers?

A modern engineer must be able to combine a solid scientific foundation with flexibility, an interdisciplinary approach, and the ability to use the latest tools, including advanced computer simulations.

For students, participating in Symkaton is an opportunity not only to develop technical skills but also to encounter the real-world challenges that companies face. It is a chance to experience teamwork, test their abilities in practice, and demonstrate a willingness to take on ambitious tasks—qualities that are particularly sought after in young engineers.

„A great way to boost your resume, expand your portfolio, and connect with companies”

Łukasz Latoch – team Huber Squad, Politechnika Warszawska

„You can get a closer look at various industries even at this early stage of college, and see what they’re really like in practice.”

Karol Biały – team Specjalny, Politechnika Rzeszowska

See Symkaton through the Eyes of Participants and Organizers

Can I do it?

“This competition is definitely not about the knowledge you possess at that given moment, but rather about the ability to quickly absorb it and having a general engineering proficiency.”

These words from one of the participants perfectly capture the spirit of Symkaton. Through 24 hours of brainstorming and work, the key to success turned out to be a creative approach to engineering and the ability to quickly assimilate new knowledge.

What did the students gain, besides adrenaline? Symkaton is an investment in their future. Participants enhanced their CVs and portfolios, gained real-world experience working with Ansys solutions, and established contacts with companies, allowing them to get to know the industry early in their studies.

Previous editions of Symkaton

Edycja 1

Winner of the 2021 Edition: Nieobliczalni, PW i PWr

Edycja 2

Winner of the 2022 Edition: KN Mechaniki Stosowanej, AGH

Edycja 3

Winner of the 2024 Edition: Symulacja 0, AGH i UKEN

Edycja 4

Winner of the 2025 Edition: Panicznie boję się symulować 2, Rzeszow University of Technology

REGISTRATION

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