Students from the Royal School Armagh are celebrating after being confirmed as the Northern Ireland winners of a UK-wide competition for cyber skills.
In all, 2,500 pupils – aged between 11 and 14 – competed for gold in the Cyber Explorers Cup, a key part of the UK Government’s ambition to get one million young people the tech skills and training they need for future careers
Four schools from across Northern Ireland went head-to-head this year. From Belfast to Armagh, the free government-led competition attracted over 60 Northern Irish secondary school students.
Now Northern Ireland’s top young cyber talent has been announced, with this year’s Northern Ireland winners confirmed as the Royal School Armagh.
To win gold, the Royal School’s team ‘Firewall Force ’ had to tackle a series of interactive problems designed to find digital ‘flags’, decoding encrypted messages, investigating digital crime scenes and battling to secure networks under pressure.
They tested their knowledge in digital forensics, encryption and secure communications, and explored ways they could apply cyber security concepts into real-life scenarios.
Minister for Digital Skills Liz Lloyd said: “These brilliant young minds aren’t just learning about cyber security, they’re already thinking and working like the tech professionals who will shape our world.
Royal School Armagh’s winning team hard at work.
“The Cyber Explorers Cup proves that the next generation of digital innovators is ready and waiting. Through TechFirst, we’re building a pipeline of talent that will keep Britain at the cutting edge of technology, from the classroom all the way to the careers of the future.”
The Royal Armagh will now receive a £2,000 tech voucher and a Cyber Explorers assembly to spend on new technology from computers to 3D printers, to help students at the school continue their tech skills journey.
Royal School Computing teacher Luke Forrest said: “The competition was an excellent experience for our pupils. It provided a challenging, real-world context that really engaged them and allowed them to apply their problem-solving skills under pressure.
“We are incredibly proud of how they performed, particularly in our first year of entry.
“We are delighted that one of our teams won the Cyber Cup 2026. They spent their vouchers on iPads for each team member. These will be used to further enhance their practical, industry-relevant skills.”
The offering for young people next academic year is being developed as part of the transition from CyberFirst to the new TechFirst programme, which aims to build the UK’s tech skills pipeline from classroom to career.
Building on the success of Cyber Explorers, future offerings will include competitions across a variety of age ranges, expanding beyond cyber security into other technologies such as AI.
