Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), in collaboration with the Medan Regional Research and Innovation Agency (BRIDA) and the Indonesian Women Entrepreneurs Association (IWAPI) of Medan, officially launched the Medan Coding Competition 2026 as a strategic initiative to nurture young digital talents while strengthening the university’s transformation into a world-class digital campus. The opening ceremony was held on Saturday (May 9) at the Campus Auditorium on Jalan Muchtar Basri No. 3, Medan.
The competition was officially opened with the traditional “tagading” drum performance and involved 600 participants from elementary schools to universities across Medan, aiming to develop future digital talents.
The event was officially inaugurated by the Chairperson of the Medan City PKK Team, Airin Rico Waas, who emphasized that the program reflects the local government’s commitment to technology-based education development from an early age.
“This event involves participants from various educational levels as part of the Medan City Government’s commitment to developing technology education from early childhood through higher education,” she said.
According to her, coding is not only about technology but also about developing logical thinking and problem-solving skills.
“Your future is in your own hands. Through coding, you are not only learning technology, but also creating innovation and solutions,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, UMSU Rector Prof. Dr. Akrim, M.Pd., stated in his remarks that the event aligns with UMSU’s vision of transforming into a world-class digital university.
“This moment is not merely about finding winners, but about nurturing new talents in the digital world. We aim to transform UMSU into a world-class digital campus because such transformation requires hard work and thorough preparation,” he said.
Akrim also explained that digital transformation consists of three stages: foundation, acceleration, and excellence. UMSU has already passed the first two phases and is currently in the acceleration stage.
“We have begun developing AI chatbots for student registration and learning services. Although this transformation presents challenges for both human resources and lecturers, we believe these challenges will create new opportunities,” he added.
As a form of appreciation, UMSU also awarded full scholarships at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FIKTI) to first, second, and third-place winners in the senior high school category.
In addition, UMSU reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the growth of local businesses.
“We continuously encourage MSMEs to grow and innovate. That is our commitment to the advancement of MSMEs in Medan City,” he added.
Dean of FIKTI UMSU, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Al-Khowarizmi, M.Kom., also expressed appreciation for the collaboration among various stakeholders in organizing the event.
“Alhamdulillah, all FIKTI lecturers are coding and AI facilitators certified by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, and UMSU is the only university implementing this program,” he stated.
He added that the faculty remains committed to strengthening collaboration with the Medan City Government in creating an innovative digital ecosystem.
Earlier, Head of BRIDA Medan, Benny Iskandar, S.T., M.T., described the coding competition as an important step toward fostering a culture of research and innovation among young people.
“A coding competition like this has never been held before in Medan. Coding trains young people to think logically before becoming researchers and innovators,” he said.
He also expressed appreciation to UMSU and all parties involved in organizing the event.
Previously, Chairperson of the Organizing Committee and Acting Head of IWAPI Medan Branch, Yoshida Sari, S.E., S.Kom., M.Kom., explained that the competition serves as an initial movement to introduce coding technology from an early age.
She reported that the competition attracted 600 participants across various categories, including:
- 133 participants from elementary school grades 1–3,
- 158 participants from elementary school grades 4–6,
- 166 junior high school participants,
- 50 senior high/vocational school participants in the Esports category,
- 28 participants in Robotics,
- 40 participants in IoT,
- and 57 university students in the Mobile Apps category.
Also attending the event were Chairperson of Dharma Wanita Persatuan Medan City Ismiralda Wiriya Alrahman, Head of the National Hub Management Sub-Team Nanda Aulia Rizqi, faculty leaders of UMSU, Chairperson of IWAPI North Sumatra Ir. Hj. Purnama Dewi, M.M., regional government officials of Medan City, and participants of the Medan Coding Competition 2026.
