Bebras 2026 Dates, Format and How to Get Ready

The 2026 UK Bebras Challenge runs 9–20 November 2026 — a free, 45-minute online challenge your child sits through school. No coding required, no entry fee, and no separate application if they do well enough to be invited to the next thing.

For the fuller picture of what Bebras is and why it suits KS3 particularly well, see our full Bebras guide. This article is the short, practical version: the dates and format for 2026, and what "getting ready" actually looks like.

The facts, at a glance

Organised by the Raspberry Pi Foundation

Bebras is organised in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It's a computational thinking challenge, not a coding test — the puzzles are logic and pattern problems that don't require your child to have written a single line of code.

Tiers by experience, not strictly by year group

Bebras groups entrants into tiers by experience level rather than a hard year-group rule, so a school places each student in the tier that fits them. For KS3, the relevant one is Intermediates, pitched at roughly ages 12–14 — which covers most of Years 8 and 9. Younger or more experienced students may sit a different tier depending on how their school allocates entries; if you're unsure which tier your child will sit, ask their computing teacher directly, since the school makes that call.

Format: 45 minutes, online, no coding

However well your child knows the underlying concepts — covered in Bebras facts every KS3 child should know — the challenge itself is short: a single 45-minute sitting, online, made up of short self-contained puzzles. There's no software to install and no programming language involved at any tier. The puzzles test logic, algorithms, pattern recognition, and working with data — reasoning your child can do with a clear head and, where useful, a pencil for tracing things out.

Entry is free, and goes through school

There's nothing for a parent to pay or arrange directly. A teacher registers the school, and students sit the challenge in their two-week window at school. The one useful thing a parent can do is simply ask the computing teacher whether the school is taking part — most schools that teach computing do, since it costs nothing and needs very little setup on their end.

If the school doesn't already run it, that's worth raising directly with the computing department rather than assuming it isn't possible — because entry is free and the whole challenge is a single 45-minute online sitting, the barrier for a school to take part for the first time is genuinely low.

Why the window is only two weeks

Unlike a competition with a single fixed exam date, Bebras gives schools a two-week window to fit the challenge in wherever it suits their timetable, rather than everyone sitting it on the same day. That's a practical choice: a 45-minute online challenge is easy to slot into a normal computing or form-time lesson once a school has a slot free, rather than needing to clear a special exam session. For your child, it mostly means the exact date within 9–20 November is the school's decision, not something to plan around at home.

Awards and what comes after

Certificates are awarded by performance band, with Gold going to roughly the top 10% of entrants in each category. Beyond the certificate itself, strong performers are automatically enrolled in the follow-on Raspberry Pi Foundation Coding Challenge, which runs the following March — there's no separate application to make; participation in Bebras is what triggers the invitation. That follow-on challenge does involve actual coding, starting with visual, block-based programming for younger entrants, so Bebras doubles neatly as a low-pressure on-ramp for a child who might want to try coding next.

Getting ready, briefly

Because Bebras tests reasoning rather than facts, there's no syllabus to revise in the usual sense. What does help is familiarity with the recurring types of puzzle — algorithms, binary, decomposition, binary search, graphs, parity, systematic listing — covered in Bebras facts every KS3 child should know, and knowing the common traps in Bebras common mistakes and misconceptions. For a light, spaced way to keep both fresh in the weeks before the November window rather than cramming, see preparing for Bebras with spaced repetition.

FAQ

When is the 2026 UK Bebras Challenge?

The 2026 UK Bebras window runs 9–20 November 2026. Schools choose a 45-minute slot for their students within that two-week window, sat online.

Which tier is right for a KS3 child?

The Intermediates tier, which is pitched at roughly ages 12–14 — squarely the KS3 age range. Bebras tiers are grouped by experience rather than strictly by year group, so a school will place your child in the tier that fits.

What happens if my child does really well?

Roughly the top 10% of entrants in each category earn a Gold certificate, and strong performers are automatically enrolled in the follow-on Raspberry Pi Foundation Coding Challenge in March — no separate application needed.