Why EGOI?

To this day today, there are significantly fewer women than men studying and working in the field of Computer Science. This discrepancy is even larger in competitive programming competitions like the International Olympiad in Informatics. At the same time, the impact Computer Science has on our society is growing every year and thus benefits greatly from having diverse perspectives driving its development. Therefore, it is important to make an effort to get more women and non-binary people into the field.

EGOI tries to address this issue by focusing on the following aspects:

Encourage girls to participate: The stereotype of Computer Science being a male-only profession persists. Many young women do not consider this field, even though they have talent and could enjoy it. EGOI seeks to reach those who may not yet have the courage to participate in an Olympiad in Informatics. By making them feel included and directly addressed, the competition helps them build the self-confidence to take part.
Raise awareness among teachers: By educating teachers, they can explicitly encourage young women to participate.
Introduce female role models: Participants will get to know female Computer Scientists and meet female role models from a variety of different backgrounds. This is important, as most attachment figures are currently male (e.g. teachers, professors, Computer Science leaders).
Strengthen self-confidence and acceptance: One goal is to enable women in Computer Science to utilise and develop their full potential. To achieve this, young women need a sense of achievement, self-confidence, and acceptance — qualities that EGOI actively fosters. The event also provides an opportunity to highlight the outstanding careers and accomplishments to which young women can successfully aspire.

Over the past few years, EGOI has created a strong and welcoming community, connecting current and former participants during and after the competition. Furthermore, it raises awareness of women in Computer Science, connects promising candidates with representatives from industry, and has an overall positive impact on the people involved.