Join the Master the Mainframe virtual coding competition to learn new skills, connect with employers, earn digital badges, and win cash prizes! No technical experience required.
Through three interactive Levels, you will access a mainframe and get skilled up on the foundations of Mainframe, including JCL, Ansible, Python, Unix, COBOL, REXX, all through VS Code. Round it all out with a grand challenge where you craft your own fully-equipped Mainframe creation.
Get started today and open doors to new opportunities with Fortune 500 companies.
OPENS | September 14
CLOSES | January 17
Complete the levels at your own pace
Any academic
student that is 13+
Compete from
anywhere in the world virtually
WHY
MAINFRAMES?
Earn industry-recognized badges, access to an exclusive career development group, charity donations, cash prizes, t-shirts, and more!
Click on a Level to learn more.
LEVEL ONE | CONNECT
Jump into your mainframe experience right through VS Code. You’ll get connected to the mainframe, run some commands, check out data sets, grab some system vitals, and see how mainframe virtualization delivers real world power to apps of any size.
PRIZES
Feed 2 Children for a Day
For every Level One finisher, a donation will be made to ShareTheMeal
LEVEL ONE | CONNECT
Jump into your mainframe experience right through VS Code. You’ll get connected to the mainframe, run some commands, check out data sets, grab some system vitals, and see how mainframe virtualization delivers real world power to apps of any size.
PRIZES
Feed 2 Children for a Day
For every Level One finisher, a donation will be made to ShareTheMeal
LEVEL TWO | DISCOVER
Rack up valuable skills as you craft Python programs, explore the Unix side of things, hack away at JCL, streamline work in Bash scripts, fire up and connect it all together with Z Open Automation Utilities. You’ll be pushing the system to the limits, and proving your talent as you complete each challenge.
PRIZES
All Finishers:
Exclusive Special Event:
Gain access into exclusive online career development activity featuring access to employers and career opportunities
Industry Recognized Digital Badge:
Earn the Level Two IBM Master the Mainframe badge certifying your skills
$500 e-gift card
Finishers entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of 45 $500 e-gift cards
LEVEL TWO | DISCOVER
Rack up valuable skills as you craft Python programs, explore the Unix side of things, hack away at JCL, streamline work in Bash scripts, fire up and connect it all together with Z Open Automation Utilities. You’ll be pushing the system to the limits, and proving your talent as you complete each challenge.
PRIZES
All Finishers:
Exclusive Special Event:
Gain access into exclusive online career development activity featuring access to employers and career opportunities
Industry Recognized Digital Badge:
Earn the Level Two IBM Master the Mainframe badge certifying your skills
$500 e-gift card
Finishers entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of 45 $500 e-gift cards
LEVEL THREE | REAL-WORLD CHALLENGE
Hit the turbo and make it all count. Level 3 takes everything you learned before and brings it to the next level, bringing Linux into the mix, along with industry powerhouse languages Rexx and COBOL. You’ll take a deep dive into the capabilities of Zowe, and then take control of it all through Ansible. Once you’ve completed everything, the Final Challenge unlocks, which is where you’ll create a truly awesome mainframe masterpiece.
PRIZES
All Finishers:
Limited edition 2020 IBM Master the Mainframe T-Shirt & an industry-recognized Level Three IBM Master the Mainframe badge.
Top 2 Individuals from each Region:
$2500 travel stipend to visit an IBM event in your region and meet with key executives and employers. Click here to see Regions
Top 3 Individuals Globally:
$1,000 USD education scholarship
LEVEL THREE | REAL-WORLD CHALLENGE
Hit the turbo and make it all count. Level 3 takes everything you learned before and brings it to the next level, bringing Linux into the mix, along with industry powerhouse languages Rexx and COBOL. You’ll take a deep dive into the capabilities of Zowe, and then take control of it all through Ansible. Once you’ve completed everything, the Final Challenge unlocks, which is where you’ll create a truly awesome mainframe masterpiece.
PRIZES
All Finishers:
Limited edition 2020 IBM Master the Mainframe T-Shirt & an industry-recognized Level Three IBM Master the Mainframe badge.
Top 2 Individuals from each Region:
$2500 travel stipend to visit an IBM event in your region and meet with key executives and employers. Click here to see Regions
Top 3 Individuals Globally:
$1,000 USD education scholarship
GRAND CHALLENGE
Use everything you’ve learned so far and your own creativity to build something new.
PRIZES
Top 3 Individuals Globally: $1,000 USD education scholarship
GRAND CHALLENGE
Use everything you’ve learned so far and your own creativity to build something new.
PRIZES
Top 3 Individuals Globally: $1,000 USD education scholarship
Senior Lecturer at University of Johannesburg
IBM Z Software Engineer and Academic Ambassador
IBM Z Champion and Senior Lecturer at University of Wolverhampton
MTM Winner and System Designer at DATEV eG
BBC Reporter and Senior Producer
Managing Director, Enterprise Compute Services at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Want to brainstorm, learn, and grow your network? Join us and other Mainframers at one of these Meetups around the globe.
The Master the Mainframe Competition is comprised of three levels. Level One to help you learn the fundamentals of the mainframe, Level Two builds on the fundamentals by teaching you how to program with modern languages, and Level Three puts all your new skills to the test in a “real world” situation. Along the way, you will not only build skills, but you can also earn digital badges and great prizes.
Besides the awesome prizes, you can obtain unprecedented exposure to a wide variety of enterprise systems, software, and products. You can also earn an Enterprise Computing Open Badge to put on your resume or social media pages, so potential employers can easily find you. Yup, that’s right – this is one competition that can even land you a job!
Anyone who is 13+ years old, and currently a student at a high school or university can compete — no experience is necessary. The contest teaches the skills you’ll need and the competition difficulty increases as you progress through the contest phases. For more information on eligibility please reference the PA which can be found here.
There is no set time for each of the parts. You can complete the parts at your own pace, as long as you finish Level 3 by January 17, 2021, you are eligible for the Grand Prize.
North America, Latin America, India South Asia, Asia Pacific, Middle East Africa, and Europe.
Many educators and teachers across the globe add this competition into their curriculum each year. Share the registration link with your students and have them compete in the Master the Mainframe. If you have any questions, view this informational webinar or email us at mtm@angelhack.com.
Pre-Register here for the 2020 Master the Mainframe Competition.
We are using Slack for all questions and help. Slack is a free application download on all platforms. Click this link to add yourself to the workspace and get full access to our Master the Mainframe experts who will help get your through any issues. Don’t stay stuck for too long on any problem; as we are here to help you succeed in this contest!
Want to help promote Master the Mainframe around your campus or community? Download a digital flyer here.
Please join our Master the Mainframe User Group where participants, employers, educators and more can share information about mainframes, the contest and opportunities. Go to ibm.biz/mtm-usergroup to join (you will be asked to create an IBM ID the first time you register). We invite you to create a blog post or contribute to the discussion; go to www.ibm.com/community/z/contribute to learn how.