High school teams from Richardson and Plano have taken top honors at a computer programming contest sponsored by the Computer Science Department at UT Dallas.

“We had a very exciting contest in which 38 teams from 10 high schools competed,” said Dr. Ivor Page, a professor of computer science who organized the competition. “That’s 114 of the best local high school students, plus 10 of their teachers.”

The contest included two tracks: advanced and novice. A Richardson High School team took first place in the advanced-level competition, with teams from J.J. Pearce and Plano taking second and third.

A Plano West team won first in the novice-level competition, with Richardson and Plano East teams winning second and third.

Other participating high schools were Allen, Carroll, North Hills, TAG and Garland.

“UT Dallas student volunteers were truly amazing in helping teams get started, proctoring, helping ensure computers worked correctly and judging the contest,” Page added. “There were 296 submissions to be judged during a three-hour period, plus about 100 during a one-hour practice contest. These students demonstrated excellent technical skills and real consideration for the high schoolers.”

Page hopes to repeat the contest in the spring and then continue holding it twice every school year.