This competition appears to have ended. CyberStart's own programmes page describes CyberStart America in the past tense: 'From 2020-2024, CyberStart America gave U.S. high school students free access to the CyberStart platform.' No 2025-26 or 2026-27 season was found on the organiser's site, and scholarship listings show its deadline as expired. Treat this programme as no longer running unless the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation announces a new season. It is kept here so that anyone searching for it finds an accurate answer rather than an old third-party page saying it is open.
CyberStart America
A free, game-based cybersecurity challenge with scholarships attached, open to US high school students.
Run by SANS Institute and the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation
Key facts
- Eligible grades
-
Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.Historical eligibility, from a 2022 state partner page, was grades 9 to 12 at a public, private or homeschool equivalent. Not confirmed as current because the programme appears to have ended.
- Eligible ages
-
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.Historical minimum age was 13. Not confirmed as current because the programme appears to have ended.
- Individual or team
- Individual
- Where it runs
- Online · United States
- Entry cost
- FreeWas free while it ran.
- Registration deadline
- Set locally, not published as a single national date No current cycle found.
- Competition dates
- Game open through autumn and winter, National Cyber Scholarship Competition in the spring.
- Difficulty
- Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.
- Prizes
- Scholarships covering professional security training and certificationHistorically, top scorers were named National Cyber Scholars and received college scholarships plus SANS training. Not confirmed as current.
What CyberStart America is
CyberStart America is a free online cybersecurity game for high school students in the United States. You work through hundreds of challenges in a browser, covering forensics, cryptography, programming and web security, with no prior knowledge assumed. Strong performers qualify for the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, which awards substantial scholarships and professional training courses.
How the competition works
Register free and play through challenge bases that progressively increase in difficulty. The game teaches as you go, with hints available. High scorers are invited to the National Cyber Scholarship Competition, where top performers earn scholarships covering SANS training and certification, which is normally very expensive professional education.
Eligibility notes
Open to high school students in the United States. Availability and eligibility have varied by state and year; check the current cycle.
Is CyberStart America right for you?
- Experience needed
- None. CyberStart is explicitly built to teach from zero and the early bases assume nothing.
- Time commitment
- As much or as little as you like; serious contenders play consistently over months.
- What you actually do
- You solve security puzzles in a browser-based game with a story wrapper. Find a hidden password, break a weak cipher, recover a deleted file.
A good fit if
- You are curious about cybersecurity and have no idea where to start
- You want something you can pick up and put down
- You want scholarships attached to a free activity
Probably not for you if
- Students outside the United States, who should look at picoCTF instead
Common mistakes
- Playing only in the final week. Scoring rewards sustained progress through harder bases.
- Skipping the hints out of pride. They are part of the teaching design and cost you little.
- Not learning basic Python, which unlocks a large share of the mid-level challenges.
How to register
- Register free at cyberstartamerica.org during the autumn window.
- Start with the introductory bases, which assume no prior knowledge.
- Work through challenges consistently rather than in one burst; the scoring rewards depth.
- High scorers are invited to the National Cyber Scholarship Competition in spring.
What skills you need
- Linux basics
- Cryptography
- Web security
- Digital forensics
- Python scripting
- Persistence
Recommended resources
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CyberStart America
Registration, the game itself and scholarship information.
-
picoCTF picoGym
Free year-round challenge archive covering the same skill areas.
-
OverTheWire Bandit
Free Linux command line training that unlocks many CyberStart challenges.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes, entirely. The game and the scholarship competition cost nothing, and the scholarships awarded cover professional SANS training that would otherwise be very expensive.
Can international students play?
CyberStart America is for US high school students. Students elsewhere should look at picoCTF, which is open worldwide and free.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
Posts are public. Do not share your full name, school, address or contact details.
Something out of date?
If a deadline, fee or eligibility rule on this page no longer matches the official site, flag it and it goes into the review queue.
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