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Coding Competitions for Elementary and Middle School Kids in Indonesia 2026/2027: Contests, Categories, and How to Prepare

Published: 19.10.2026·Updated: 19.10.2026

Fajar Hidayat

Coding Curriculum Team, Algonova

Coding Competitions for Elementary and Middle School Kids in Indonesia 2026/2027: Contests, Categories, and How to Prepare

Coding competitions for elementary school kids in Indonesia start most easily with the Bebras Challenge: it is free, held online, and has a category from grade 1. Children aged 8-12 can also try ImajiNation from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), Codeavour, or WRO if they like robotics. Below are 4 competitions for elementary and middle school with ages, formats, past schedules, and a 6-week preparation plan you can follow with your child.

Why should elementary kids enter a coding competition?

A coding competition teaches a child to work within written rules and a time limit, and the certificate can count toward the achievement track of public junior high admission (SPMB).

At home, a child can stop a project whenever they like. A competition sets a deadline and puts the judging in the hands of people who do not know the child. That is where kids learn to read the rules to the end and to split their time, two habits that rarely develop when studying alone.

One important note: a child does not need to win. For a grade 3 or 4 student with a year of experience, a realistic goal is to finish every task in the time given.

Which coding competitions exist for elementary kids in 2026/2027?

There are four trustworthy coding competitions for elementary level in 2026/2027: the Bebras Challenge, ImajiNation, Codeavour, and WRO for robotics.

Data comes from the organizers' official sites as of October 2026. The schedule column shows the pattern from previous years.

Competition	Age or grade	Platform	Format	Usual schedule	Fee
Bebras Challenge	SiKecil (about grades 1-3), Siaga (grades 4-6), Penggalang (grades 7-9)	Computational thinking tasks, no coding	Online, registered through the school	Bebras Week, around November	Free
ImajiNation	Elementary grades 4-6, middle school grades 7-9	Visual coding, 3D, and AR in Assemblr EDU	Projects submitted before a deadline, then a grand final	2026 edition: August to September 13, now closed	Free
Codeavour	Elementary (7-10 years), Junior (11-14 years)	PictoBlox (blocks and Python), AI, robotics	Individual or team projects of 2-3 children, national selection then international final	National selection usually early in the year	USD 45 for the regional and national rounds (edition 8.0)
WRO (World Robot Olympiad)	Elementary (8-12 years), Junior (11-15 years)	Robots and their programming	Team event, in person	WRO Indonesia 2025 was held in August	Check with the organizer

Bebras Challenge: the lightest starting point

Bebras does not ask children to write code. The tasks are illustrated stories about sequences, patterns, and logic, so even a child who has never coded can take part. In 2025, the Siaga category had 12 tasks in 40 minutes, while Penggalang had 15 tasks in 45 minutes.

Two elementary school children and a teacher discussing an illustrated logic task on a laptop as coding competition practice

Self-registration is not accepted. Schools register students through a Bebras Biro, usually a university in your city, and homeschooled children can go through a bureau willing to accept them. For Bebras Challenge Indonesia 2025, registration closed on November 3 and the challenge ran November 10-15.

The 2026 schedule had not appeared on the official site as of October 2026, so you can ask your informatics teacher now. Algonova students can also take part in this Bebras Challenge and get coaching for 3-4 sessions. That means no hunting for schedule details on your own: wait for the announcement from Algonova, register your child, and join the preparation class. We cover the task format and examples in our article on what Bebras is.

ImajiNation: a visual coding competition from Kemendikdasmen

Kemendikdasmen launched ImajiNation together with Assemblr EDU on August 3, 2026. The SD Dreamers track is for grades 4-6, and SMP Makers is for grades 7-9. Children build interactive projects with coding blocks, 3D objects, and AR, without writing text code.

According to the Assemblr EDU announcement, registration and project submission for 2026 are free and closed on September 13, 2026, so this year's edition can no longer be entered. The 2027 edition has not been announced, but if the pattern holds, registration opens around August.

A child does not need to win. For a grade 3 or 4 student with a year of experience, a realistic goal is to finish every task in the time given.

Fajar Hidayat, Coding Curriculum Team, Algonova

Codeavour: international AI and robotics projects

At Codeavour, children build an app or a robot with PictoBlox and then present it to judges. Edition 8.0 splits participants into Elementary (7-10 years), Junior (11-14 years), and Senior (15-18 years). A child can enter alone or in a team of 2-3 with one mentor.

The international final of edition 7.0 was held in Jakarta. National winners who advance to the final pay an additional USD 100.

WRO: for kids who like building robots

The World Robot Olympiad is a team robotics competition. Under the international rules for the 2026 season, the Elementary group is for ages 8-12 and Junior is for 11-15. WRO Indonesia 2025 was hosted by ITS Surabaya in August 2025 and drew 142 teams.

Because it needs robot hardware and in-person practice with a team, WRO suits children who already attend a robotics extracurricular.

What about the informatics OSN?

Many parents search for an informatics OSN for elementary kids, but that branch does not exist yet. The 2026 OSN for elementary and middle school only has Math, Science, and Social Studies. Informatics and the artificial intelligence exhibition (EKKA) are only available at senior high level.

Scratch competitions 2026/2027 from schools, universities, and communities

Every year there are also Scratch coding competitions and Scratch game contests run by schools, universities, or private organizers. Before registering, check who the organizer is, whether the contest has tiers (city, province, national), what the total cost is, and what the certificate looks like. If the fee is high but the organizer is unclear, it is better to skip it.

Coding competition categories: Scratch, Python, games, AI, robotics

The five most common categories of kids coding competitions are computational thinking, Scratch, Python, games, and AI with robotics. Each needs different practice.

Computational thinking. This is the Bebras format: no coding, for grades 1-9. Practice means logic and pattern tasks.
Scratch and block coding. Children build games, animations, or interactive stories. It suits ages 8-12. Practice material can come from Scratch project ideas for elementary kids.
Python. It appears more often in middle school categories and up. To help you prepare together, we have an article on "when a child is ready to move from blocks to text" at Scratch vs Python for kids, and the basics are in Python for kids.
Games. Judges score the idea, whether the game can be played, and how tidy the program is. A first step is how to make a game in Scratch.
AI and robotics. Codeavour and WRO. They need extra equipment and teamwork.

How to choose a competition by age and level

Choose a kids coding competition by how long the child has been learning: Bebras for beginners aged 8-9, then one project competition once the child has studied Scratch for over a year.

Ages 8-9, just starting. Pick Bebras SiKecil or Siaga. Bebras rules let students take a category below their grade, and for the first year that is the safe choice.
Ages 10-12, more than a year of Scratch. Bebras Siaga plus one project competition, for example ImajiNation elementary track or Codeavour Elementary and Junior. If your child needs a stronger foundation before a project competition, there is a coding class for elementary kids for ages 8-12.
Middle school, ages 13-14. Bebras Penggalang, ImajiNation SMP Makers, Codeavour Junior, or WRO Junior. For kids who already use Python, the next step is the coding class for teens in middle and high school.

One tasks competition and one project competition per semester is enough. Beyond that, practice easily turns into a burden.

How to prepare a child for a coding competition in 6 weeks

Preparing for a kids coding competition takes 6 weeks with 2-3 practice sessions per week, 30-45 minutes each, counted back from competition day.

A mother and her elementary school son rehearsing a Scratch project presentation with a timer before a coding competition

Week 1: read the competition rules together with your child. Note the category, duration, task types, scoring criteria, and which devices are allowed. Check the laptop and internet connection too.
Weeks 2 and 3: practice similar elementary coding competition tasks. For Bebras, work through the official sample tasks for the right category. For Scratch contests, practice with short tasks like those in Scratch tasks with answer keys. After each task, ask your child to explain the reasoning in their own words.
Week 4: a simulation in real time. Set a timer according to the rules, for example 40 minutes for 12 tasks. In Bebras, a wrong multiple-choice answer subtracts points, while short-answer questions do not. So teach your child to skip a multiple-choice task they truly do not understand.
Week 5: lock in the project idea. For a project competition, pick one idea and build the simplest version that already works. Extra features come after the basic version is done.
Week 6: testing and presentation practice. Ask someone else to try the game or app, then note what confuses them. Practice explaining the work in 2 minutes. The day before the competition, let your child rest properly.

Can a coding competition certificate count for SPMB?

A coding competition certificate can be used in the achievement track of public junior high SPMB, but the weight and the types of certificates accepted are set by each regional government's guidelines (juknis).

The central government does not set a score. Regional governments set the weight for academic and non-academic achievements in their own juknis, by competition level: district/city, province, national, or international.

Take the 2026/2027 SPMB juknis of Serang Regency as an example. Achievements must be validated by the regional government, curated by the ministry, or verified by the destination school, and the proof must be issued no more than 3 years before the registration date. That means a certificate from grade 4 can generally still be used when applying to junior high.

Keep the original certificate and the winners announcement page starting now. Closer to registration, check your city's juknis to see whether participation certificates count or only winner certificates.

One tasks competition and one project competition per semester is enough. Beyond that, practice easily turns into a burden.

Fajar Hidayat, Coding Curriculum Team, Algonova

When does a child need a teacher's guidance?

A child needs a teacher's guidance when moving from a task contest like Bebras to a project competition, because there they must find bugs and explain their own work.

A child who learns Scratch alone from videos can usually enter Bebras without help. But in a project competition, kids who study alone often get stuck when nobody can show them why the program does not run.

At Algonova, there are live online classes with a tutor, up to 10 children per group, lasting 45, 60, or 90 minutes, from Rp 102,000 per session. More than 1,000,000 students in 97 countries have studied at Algonova, with a 4.9 rating from parents. If you want to know your child's level before choosing a competition, sign them up for a free 60-minute trial coding class.

Summary

The Bebras Challenge is the lightest first competition: free, online, registered through a school or organization, and usually held around November.
ImajiNation 2026 registration closed on September 13, 2026. Watch the Kemendikdasmen and Assemblr EDU sites for the 2027 edition.
Codeavour and WRO suit children who are ready to build AI or robot projects.
Six weeks of preparation with 2-3 practice sessions per week is enough for one competition.
Competition certificates can count in the SPMB achievement track, according to each region's juknis.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Which coding competitions are there for elementary kids?

For elementary kids, the competitions with trustworthy organizers are the Bebras Challenge, ImajiNation from Kemendikdasmen, Codeavour Elementary, and WRO Elementary for robotics. The four are different in kind. Bebras is logic tasks with no coding and can be entered from grade 1 through the SiKecil category. ImajiNation asks grade 4-6 students to build visual coding projects with 3D and AR. Codeavour judges AI or robotics projects made by children aged 7-10, alone or in teams. WRO is a team robot competition that needs equipment and in-person practice. A grade 4 student with a year of Scratch is a good fit to start with Bebras Siaga. Beyond these, there are many Scratch contests from schools, universities, and private organizers. Check who the organizer is and what the total cost is before registering. A trustworthy contest usually has written rules and a winners list from the previous year that you can verify.

Which coding competitions can middle school kids enter?

Coding competitions for middle school kids with trustworthy organizers are Bebras Penggalang, ImajiNation SMP Makers, Codeavour Junior, and WRO Junior for robotics. Bebras Penggalang is for grades 7-9 and in 2025 had 15 tasks in 45 minutes, still without writing code. ImajiNation SMP Makers is entered by teams of grade 7-9 students who build visual coding projects with 3D and AR. Codeavour Junior is for ages 11-14 and judges AI or robotics projects, while WRO Junior is for ages 11-15 and is done in teams with real robots. At this level Python is used more often, especially in the text mode of PictoBlox. For example, a grade 7 student who has made Scratch games for two years can try Codeavour Junior while starting to learn Python. The middle school OSN has no informatics branch, so for coding pick one of the four competitions above.

Are there free coding competitions for kids?

Yes. The Bebras Challenge charges no registration fee, and ImajiNation 2026 was also free for both the elementary and middle school tracks. Bebras is registered by schools through the Bebras Biro, usually the nearest university. But if your child is an Algonova student, they can register through Algonova, and the tasks are done online in 30-45 minutes depending on the category. ImajiNation is done on the Assemblr EDU platform, and projects are submitted before a deadline. Registration for the 2026 edition closed on September 13, 2026, so watch for the next announcement. Codeavour is paid: edition 8.0 lists a USD 45 fee for the regional and national rounds, plus USD 100 for national winners who advance to the final. For example, a family that wants to try the competition atmosphere at no cost can start with Bebras in November. For private contests, ask for the full fee breakdown from the start. Certificate or final round fees are sometimes charged separately from registration, so also ask for a sample certificate from last year before paying.

Is a coding competition Scratch or Python?

For elementary kids, most competitions use block coding such as Scratch, PictoBlox, or Assemblr EDU, while Python appears more often in middle school categories and up. Block coding lets children focus on logic, meaning command order, loops, and conditions, without being tripped up by typos. PictoBlox, which Codeavour uses, has a block mode and a Python mode, so a child can level up on the same platform. Bebras uses no programming language at all. For example, a 9-year-old is better off entering a Scratch game contest than forcing a Python category they have not mastered. Before registering for a Python category, check whether the child can already write a short program without looking at an example. Many children start moving to Python at ages 11-13, once they are comfortable building their own projects in Scratch.

At what age can a child enter a coding competition?

A child can enter a coding competition from age 7. Codeavour has an Elementary category for ages 7-10, and Bebras has a SiKecil category with difficulty equal to grades 1-3. Minimum age is not the same as ideal age. A 7-year-old may register for Codeavour, but a project competition expects the child to finish a piece of work and explain it to judges. For a child that young, Bebras is lighter because the tasks are illustrated and the time is 30 minutes. WRO Elementary, under the international rules, is for ages 8-12. For example, a grade 2 student can try Bebras SiKecil first, then enter a project competition in grade 4 or 5. Codeavour Junior is for ages 11-14 and WRO Junior for 11-15, so both can be entered through middle school. Always check the birth date cutoff in the official rules, because age is counted per competition season, not per school year.

How do I register for a coding competition?

Bebras can only be registered through a school and a Bebras Biro (or through Algonova if your child is an Algonova student), while project competitions like Codeavour are registered on the organizer's official site. For Bebras, the school fills in a student list and sends it to the bureau. In 2025, the deadline was November 3. If your school has never taken part, parents can tell the informatics teacher and show them the bureau list on the Bebras Indonesia site. Homeschooled children can register through a bureau willing to accept them. ImajiNation is registered through the Assemblr EDU platform. For project competitions, prepare the child's details, the school name, and sometimes a mentor's name. For example, a Codeavour team has 2-3 children with one mentor, and a team may submit only one project. Also read the device requirements, because online competitions usually ask for a laptop and a stable connection. Register your child at least 6 weeks before competition day so there is enough time to prepare without rushing.

What are the benefits of entering a coding competition?

The main benefit of a coding competition is that a child gets used to working within rules, time limits, and judging by people who do not know them. When studying at home, a child can stop whenever they want. In a competition, they must read a task to the end, split their time, and decide when to skip a hard one. A project competition adds one more skill: briefly explaining the finished work to judges. For a shy child, this short presentation can be the first practice at talking about their own work. For example, a child who usually makes Scratch games just for themselves starts to wonder whether other people understand how to play. The habit of testing work on others also helps when doing group assignments at school. Winner certificates from tiered competitions can also count in the SPMB achievement track, according to each region's juknis.

How do I prepare my child for a coding competition?

Prepare your child for about 6 weeks with 2-3 practice sessions per week, 30-45 minutes each, starting by reading the competition rules together. Week one is for understanding the rules and checking devices. Weeks two and three are for practicing similar tasks, for example the official Bebras sample tasks. Week four is a simulation with a real timer. In Bebras, a wrong multiple-choice answer subtracts points, so also practice when your child should skip a task. The last two weeks are for project competitions only: lock in one idea, build a simple version that already runs, then practice a 2-minute presentation. For example, a child entering Bebras Siaga practices finishing 12 tasks in 40 minutes. If your child often gets stuck midway through a project, sessions with a tutor can help find the source of the problem faster. A free 60-minute trial coding class can be a first step.

Is a coding competition certificate useful for getting into junior high?

A coding competition certificate can help with public junior high admission through the SPMB achievement track, but the weight and the types of certificates accepted are set by regional governments in their juknis. The central government does not set a score. Each district or city sets weights by competition level: district/city, province, national, or international. The 2026/2027 Serang Regency juknis, for example, requires achievements that are validated or curated, and proof issued no more than 3 years before registration. So a certificate earned in grade 4 can generally still be used. In some regions, TKA scores and report cards are also counted in this track, so a certificate is an addition, not the only deciding factor. Also ask the destination school whether participation certificates count or only winner certificates. Keep the original certificate and proof of the winners announcement, and read your city's juknis, which is published closer to junior high registration.

What is the difference between a coding competition and Bebras?

A coding competition asks a child to build a program or project, while Bebras is made of illustrated logic tasks that can be answered without ever learning to code. Bebras tasks are short stories about patterns, sequences, or finding a path, with multiple-choice, short-answer, or matching answers. It is called the Bebras Challenge, and a child's score is shown on the certificate. Coding competitions like Codeavour or Scratch game contests are judged on the work: the idea, whether the program runs, and how the child explains it. The time is also different: Bebras 2025 Siaga had 12 tasks in 40 minutes, while a project competition is worked on for weeks before the deadline. For example, a child who is great at puzzles but has never coded can still score well in Bebras. The two complement each other. Bebras trains thinking, while project competitions train a child to finish work until other people can use it.

When are coding competitions usually held?

Most coding competitions for kids take place in the odd semester. The Bebras Challenge is held around November, and ImajiNation 2026 opened registration from August to mid-September. Bebras 2025, for example, closed registration on November 3 and held the challenge on November 10-15. In earlier editions, Codeavour national selection took place early in the year, with the international final a few months later. The international final of edition 7.0 was even held in Jakarta, and, by the way, one team from Algonova took part in this prestigious event too! The OSN for elementary and middle school, which has no informatics branch, opens registration in February with district/city selection in June. WRO Indonesia 2025 was held in August. For example, a child who starts practicing in late September still has about 6 weeks before Bebras week. Most 2027 competition dates have not been announced. Watch each competition's official site and ask your informatics teacher from the start of the school year.

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