If you’re trying to break into cybersecurity, competitions and events are one of the fastest ways to build real skills, get your name out there, and prove what you can do without needing years of experience on a resume.
We just updated our full event calendar at events.cisomarketplace.com with verified 2026 dates — here’s what’s worth your attention this year.
Right Now: picoCTF 2026 (March 9–19) 🔴 LIVE
If you’re reading this in March 2026, picoCTF is running right now through March 19th.
It’s from Carnegie Mellon University, completely free, beginner-friendly, and covers cryptography, web exploitation, forensics, and reverse engineering. If you’ve never done a CTF before, this is the one to start with. There are no prerequisites.
Spring 2026 — What’s Coming Up
NCL Spring 2026 (Jan 26 – May 22)
The National Cyber League runs through the whole spring semester. Three phases: Practice Game, Individual Competition, and Team Competition. Costs $35–45 to register but it’s worth it — NCL scores show up on resumes and employers actually recognize them.
CyberPatriot XVIII Finals (March 20–24, Maryland)
If you qualified through your school program, this is finals week. CyberPatriot is one of the biggest youth cyber education programs in the country.
CCDC Regionals (March 27–29)
Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition regionals. This one is intense — you defend a live network against professional red teamers trying to take you down in real time. If you’re in college, this is the one that gets you noticed.
Lockheed Martin CYBERQUEST (March 28)
A single-day competition from Lockheed Martin. Worth doing for the resume name recognition alone.
MITRE eCTF (Ongoing through May)
Hardware/embedded security CTF running through spring. If you’re into hardware hacking, IoT security, or embedded systems — this is your event.
April–June 2026
President’s Cup PC7 Finals (April 14–16, Arlington VA)
CISA’s flagship federal cybersecurity competition. This is for the federal workforce but worth knowing about if that’s a career path you’re considering.
US Cyber Games Season V (June 5–18)
Ages 18–26. Three-phase competition that culminates in selection for the US Cyber Team for international competition. This is the path to representing the US at the International Cybersecurity Challenge.
Summer 2026 — The Big Ones
Black Hat USA 2026 (Est. Aug 1–6, Las Vegas)
The professional conference. Briefings, trainings, Arsenal tool demos, and the business hall. If you’re working in security or trying to get there, this is where the industry shows up.
DEF CON 33 (Est. Aug 6–9, Las Vegas)
The hacker convention. Villages, talks, badge challenges, lockpicking, and the DEF CON CTF Finals all happen here. General admission is ~$300 cash at the door. No badge, no entry.
DEF CON CTF Finals (Aug 7–10)
The most prestigious CTF on the planet. You qualify through other competitions throughout the year. Getting here means you’re elite.
Fall 2026
CSAW CTF (Est. September, Global)
Student-run by NYU Tandon. One of the most respected student CTFs. Open globally, hybrid format.
NSA Codebreaker Challenge (October – December)
Free, open to students. Reverse engineering and code analysis focused on NSA mission scenarios. Great for your resume if you’re going the federal/defense route.
Cyber Force Competition (Est. October)
DOE-sponsored collegiate cyber defense focusing on energy infrastructure. Sponsored by Argonne National Laboratory.
ICS Cybersecurity Conference (Est. Oct 26–29, Atlanta)
If industrial control systems / OT security is your direction, this is the longest-running ICS security event in the world.
How to Find More Events
We track all of these (and hundreds more) at events.cisomarketplace.com — conferences, CTFs, and competitions worldwide, searchable by date, format, and category. You can also submit events that aren’t listed yet.
One More Thing: Turn Your Scores Into a Job
Competitions prove skills. But getting those skills in front of hiring managers is a separate problem.
The CISO Talent Network is built exactly for this. You complete a free 25-minute AI voice interview — no scheduling, no recruiter, no resume black hole — and your scored profile goes directly to CISO Marketplace member companies who are actively hiring.
58+ open cybersecurity roles right now, from analyst to architect. Free for candidates, always.
If you’re grinding CTFs to build your skills, the next step is getting those skills in front of decision makers. That’s what the talent network is for.
👉 careers.cisomarketplace.services
Good luck at picoCTF. Go get some flags.
