ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the fifth consecutive year, schools and educational organizations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have registered to participate in CyberPatriot – the country's premier National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, and Department of Defense Dependent schools in Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Germany will also be represented.

The Air Force Association established CyberPatriot in 2009 to attract high school and middle school students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Participation in the competition has grown by more than 25 percent each year, with the CyberPatriot VIII field on track to surpass 2,300 teams by the time registration closes on October 9, 2015.

After the Practice Round in October, CyberPatriot VIII teams will compete from their home locations in a series of online qualifying rounds that challenge them to find and fix security vulnerabilities in a variety of simulated networks. Top teams from the online rounds will travel all-expenses-paid to Baltimore, Md., for the CyberPatriot VIII National Finals Competition April 10-14, 2016. There, national finalists will have the opportunity to compete for national honors and scholarships, as well as network with industry sponsors.

"By participating in CyberPatriot, students not only gain technical skills and insight into the cybersecurity field, but also teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking skills essential to careers in any field," said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot National Commissioner. "We are thrilled to reach even more students and educators this year and look forward to continuing to grow and enhance the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program."

CyberPatriot teams consist of a Coach and two to six students enrolled in the high school, middle school, home school, or approved educational organization fielding the team. Neither Coaches nor Competitors need any special technical background. CyberPatriot provides fundamental training materials and encourages Coaches to seek the help of local IT professionals and academics who register on the CyberPatriot website to volunteer as CyberPatriot Technical Mentors.

Registration for CyberPatriot VIII closes October 9, 2015. For more information and to sign up, visit www.uscyberpatriot.org.

Supporters of CyberPatriot include Northrop Grumman Foundation, CyberPatriot's Presenting Sponsor, as well as Cyber Diamond sponsors AT&T Federal and the AT&T Foundation, Cisco, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Cyber Gold sponsors Facebook, Riverside Research, Splunk, and Symantec; and Cyber Silver sponsors Air Force Reserve, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Leidos, and University of Maryland University College.

For more information and to register for the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, visit www.uscyberpatriot.org.

The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote a dominant United States Air Force and a strong national defense, and to honor Airmen and our Air Force Heritage.

SOURCE Air Force Association

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