21-year-old from China wins TCS CodeVita™ 2026 as TCS sets new Guinness World Records™ for the world’s largest coding competition, TCS sets a new milestone with 146,922 participants, surpassing its 2021 Guinness World Records™ title to remain the world’s largest coding championship
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Swapnil Dangarikar, Senior Adjudicator, Guinness World Records, said, “TCS CodeVita has earned the unique distinction of breaking the record for the largest computer programming competition with 146,922 participants in its 13th season of organizing this competition. TCS CodeVita broke their own previous record set in season 9. This solidifies TCS’ goal of promoting programming as a sport and a force for positive change.”
Sudeep Kunnumal, Chief Human Resources Officer, TCS, said, “Setting another Guinness World Record is a proud achievement for everyone at TCS. My heartfelt congratulations to this year’s winner and all the finalists. TCS CodeVita gives aspiring coders a global stage to showcase their ability to solve complex real-world problems. As generative AI reshapes the technology landscape, our ability to find and cultivate the right talent is more critical than ever. CodeVita remains central to that effort, helping us identify high potential talent through an engaging, gamified recruitment platform.”
Now in its 13th season, TCS CodeVita, continues to showcase some of the world’s brightest programming minds, pushing the boundaries of competitive coding excellence. This year the competition saw a new mini competition being instituted. The 30 finalists appeared for an AI-assisted programming competition with an objective to understand the dynamics of Human – AI collaboration to solve complex programming problems. TCS provided the participants with frontier AI models including ChatGPT, Claude Sonnet, and Gemini to derive innovative solutions. This allowed TCS to capture in real time how humans use AI in roles of validator, collaborator or outsourcing partner. Another highlight of this season was the strong representation of women coders from India. Six Indian women finalists made it to the global top 30, the highest ever across all the editions thus far.
Category Best Women Coders Best AI Coder Best Emerging Coder Winner Tejaswini Singh, Lucknow, Zhou Jingkai, People’s Republic of China Balashiva S, Chennai, India
First Runner-up Keerthi KP, Chennai Benjamin Orellana, United States of America Jose Nunez, Ecuador
Second Runner-up Mahak Lachhwani, Bhopal Jorge Valdivia, Peru Gabriella Padilla, Ecuador
Zhou Jingkai, TCS CodeVita winner 2026, said, “Winning TCS CodeVita feels surreal, especially since I almost tasted victory last year as the top Emerging Coder of the Year. Participating in the world’s largest coding competition has been one of the most inspiring experiences for me. I returned to take part this year because it encourages us to sharpen our ability to break down complex challenges and think creatively under pressure. It provides a great opportunity to learn from fellow coders across the globe. I am grateful for this experience, which has not only strengthened my problem-solving capabilities but also inspired me to think differently.”
CodeVita is an open book competition that allows participants to research, explore, and solve problems of varying complexities within six hours. Each round presents a fresh set of real world challenge that becomes complex as the competition progresses. Historically, only the top 25 contestants make it to the final round, however this year, 30 exceptional coders representing eight foreign and 22 Indian’s qualified for the top spot, reflecting exceptional caliber of talent in the 2026 edition.
The contest is open to students enrolled in colleges and universities across the globe and uses a gamified model to promote programming as a sport. Over the years, hundreds of participants have gone on to secure roles at TCS, with selected finalists earning an opportunity to intern with TCS Research and Innovation.
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