Man AHL, Man Group’s diversified quantitative investment manager, has launched the second annual Man AHL Coder Prize, a coding competition for students with a top prize of GBP5,000.
The Man AHL Coder Prize, which launched last year for students in the UK and Ireland, is now also open to entrants based in the EU or Switzerland, who are aged 16-25 and in full time education.
Entrants will be tasked with writing code using Python, the programming language which Man AHL uses for its systematic models, to control a player for Man AHL’s homemade game HiveMinder.
The seven coders that perform the best will be invited to a day of live coding at Man AHL’s offices in London to determine the ultimate winner.
The top three finalists will be awarded cash prizes of GBP5,000, GBP2,000 and GBP1,000 respectively and all finalists are encouraged to apply for an internship at Man AHL.
The inaugural Man AHL Coder Prize in 2016 attracted entries from students spanning the educational spectrum from GCSE to PHD level and hailing from 31 institutions across the UK and Ireland. The winner, Hamed Ahmadi of the University of Oxford, successfully applied for an internship with the firm and has since joined Man AHL on a full time basis.
To encourage the next generation of coding professionals to try their hand at coding, Man AHL has introduced a GBP1,000 prize for the top performing under 18 year old who places outside the top three, as well as an upper age limit of 25. Instructional videos and a ready-made programming environment will be provided in an effort to attract a diverse range of entrants, including those attempting to code for the first time.
Entrants will have until 14 January 2017, when the first stage of the Man AHL Coder Prize ends, to develop their skills.
Sandy Rattray (pictured), CEO of Man AHL and CIO of Man Group, says: "As a technology-driven business, Man AHL is committed to fostering the next generation of coding talent. We were impressed with the strength of the entries we received last year, and we’re delighted to be building on the buzz of the inaugural competition to bring this year's contest to an even larger audience. We hope that the Coder Prize will capture the imagination and resonate with young people, while educating them about the applications of coding in financial markets.”
