United States of America Computing Olympiad

The United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO) is a computer programming competition aimed primarily at secondary school students in the United States. Participants of the USACO submit programs in one of four languages, C, C++, Java, and Pascal, to various competitions held throughout the year. There are currently three divisions of the USACO: Bronze (easiest but requires some programming ability), Silver, and Gold (hardest). Participants advance through the divisions by performing well in their current division, or in a qualifying round which is usually held in November. The USACO was founded in 1993 by Don Piele and is currently maintained by head coach Rob Kolstad.