Think cyber. Manage risk. Innovate forward.
The Fiercest Competitor is built to test how you think, solve and collaborate in real-time scenarios. The experience includes two stages: The Pre-finale “Cyberverse Battle Drill” and a team-based finale, “This is Cyberwar”. You will apply your technical skills to cybersecurity problems that matter. Each step brings you closer to building secure, purposeful solutions with impact.
Format: 60 minutes | Virtual | Individual challenge
Strengthen your cybersecurity skills through a dynamic, hands-on simulation designed to reflect real-world scenarios.
You’ll navigate a gamified technical challenge focused on identifying and understanding common security vulnerabilities. This round is designed to assess your awareness of secure coding principles and your ability to evaluate risk in a controlled environment.
What you’ll focus on:
Strengthen your cybersecurity skills through a dynamic, hands-on simulation designed to reflect real-world scenarios.
You’ll navigate a gamified technical challenge focused on identifying and understanding common security vulnerabilities. This round is designed to assess your awareness of secure coding principles and your ability to evaluate risk in a controlled environment.
What you’ll focus on:
- Recognizing common security issues
- Applying foundational cybersecurity concepts
- Demonstrating analytical and problem-solving skills
Format: In-person | Team challenge
Apply your knowledge, collaborate with your peers, and bring your ideas to life in this final round held at the PwC office.
You and your team will develop a working application prototype and present your solution to a panel of professionals from PwC’s Cybersecurity practice.
What’s involved:
Apply your knowledge, collaborate with your peers, and bring your ideas to life in this final round held at the PwC office.
You and your team will develop a working application prototype and present your solution to a panel of professionals from PwC’s Cybersecurity practice.
What’s involved:
- Prototype development: Work collaboratively to design and build a secure application using standard cybersecurity tools and libraries.
- Presentation: Explain your solution, outline your development approach and highlight the security measures integrated into your build.
What you’ll be assessed on:
- Innovation and technical quality Team collaboration
- Application of cybersecurity best practices
- Clarity and impact of your presentation
Winners of Fiercest Competitor 2026
"The hackathon itself was extremely well thought out and structured. We genuinely enjoyed working on the problem statement, it pushed us to think like actual cybersecurity professionals, building the code while also viewing the website from an attacker's perspective. That shift in mindset deepened our understanding of how applications are built and how vulnerabilities are actually exploited. Working through the challenge in six hours with no AI assistance forced us to think critically about every security decision and understand how the pieces fit together."
Akash Sundaramoorthi (SRM Institute of Science and Technology)
Madhur Kedia (Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre)
Nikhil Rawat (Graphic Era University)
Akash Sundaramoorthi (SRM Institute of Science and Technology)
Madhur Kedia (Jaipur Engineering College and Research Centre)
Nikhil Rawat (Graphic Era University)
1st Runner-up of Fiercest Competitor 2026
"PwC's Fiercest Competitor gave us far more than just a hackathon. It felt like a true battle of minds, people actually competing, not AI tools. Within hours of meeting, we were building NetArchWeb, a tool that scans a codebase for security findings and surfaces them on a clear, prioritized dashboard. The real win was sitting with PwC's directors and judges afterward, hearing their honest feedback, and understanding how things actually work at that level in the industry."
Neravati Mohith (Parul University)
Nishant Rajput (Graphic Era University)
Purvi Pal (SRM Institute of Science and Technology)
Neravati Mohith (Parul University)
Nishant Rajput (Graphic Era University)
Purvi Pal (SRM Institute of Science and Technology)
2nd Runner-up of Fiercest Competitor 2026
"Participating in this competition was an incredible learning experience that challenged us to think creatively, collaborate effectively and apply our technical skills to solve a real-world problem. The finale was especially exciting, giving us the opportunity to interact with talented participants from different backgrounds and gain valuable insights from industry professionals. Thank you PwC AC India for this enriching opportunity. This experience has inspired us to keep learning, innovating and striving for excellence together."
Aditi Ingle (Anurag University)
Oheli Das (Institute of Engineering and Management Kolkata)
Pranati Rao (VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute Of Engineering & Technology)
From participants to PwC interns
