When I was still at school, I always enjoyed taking part in competitions. Not because I was particularly good, but because I enjoyed the experience together with my friends. Unfortunately, our favorite competition was canceled in 2013. Back then, we decided to take the whole thing into our own hands when we grew up. With the first lockdown, this idea came back to me and so the BYTE Challenge was born, together with Stefan Hildebrand. - Carolin Neumann

Jahresbericht der Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. 2020/21

However, the BYTE Challenge was not a normal "nerd competition" but rather aimed to promote individual learning, especially in subject areas that students are only vaguely familiar with, such as Bitcoin, AI or Smart Homes. Completed courses are rewarded with so-called $Bits and $Bytes, which can then be exchanged for prizes such as T-shirts or stickers.

We digitise digital natives, regardless of gender, social status and other factors!

Our aim is to improve digital STEM education not only throughout Germany, but worldwide, and to familiarise pupils with topics that are unfortunately often neglected in the classroom.

The competition consisted of online seminars, technology immersion courses & scratch courses. Our online seminars are still available on our YouTube channel. Some have also been turned into new courses. The technique immersion & scratch courses are also available in our BYTE platform.

The competition opened on 18 March 2021 with 300 live participants.

The closing event took place live on Digital Day 2021. Special prizes were awarded and special achievements honoured.

The Corona Defender was submitted by Tom P. in 2021.

BYTE sparked my passion for STEM subjects and my enjoyment of online learning. It was a special experience that I can only wish for everyone. That's why I decided to help shape this great project.

Emilia Sommer, BYTE Challenge 2021 participant, now Team Leader

BYTE has fascinated and inspired me from the very beginning - I think it's great to bring the digital world closer to the younger generation on a voluntary basis.

Luke J., participant of the BYTE Challenge 2021, today Videographer & Course Creator

The team and the project continue to grow, which is why we are always on the lookout for new talent. For example, former BYTE'21 participants are actively developing our course landscape. Without their input, directly from the right target group, and their active participation, BYTE would still be a long way off. We are proud to lead such a strong team. - Stefan Hildebrand

Annual report of the German Informatics Society e.V. 2021/22

The feedback from teachers in 2021 was that an all year round offer would make more sense from a didactic point of view than a 3-month competition. BYTE has now evolved into a digital learning platform for students and teachers. Our courses are available to all pupils across Europe. They can now learn fun topics in a self-determined way and are also rewarded.

No prior knowledge is required to participate..

Our new badges with the theme area as a colour code, difficulty level display and our new mascot "Bitsy".

An insight into our BYTE platform, based on Moodle.

Wie steht es eigentlich um die digitale Bildung in Deutschland?
Wie viel Prozent der Schulen sind tatsächlich digital ausgestattet?
Bieten alle Bundesländer Informatikunterricht an?
Wie steht es um Weiterbildungsangebote für Lehrer/innen?