MARRAKECH, Morocco, May 24, 2015 /PRNewswire - MySolutionInfo/ -- A trio of students from St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics have emerged as World Champions of the 39(th) Annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) World Finals sponsored by IBM (NYSE: IBM). The contest was held Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco and hosted by Mohammed V University, Al Akhawayn University, Mundiapolis University, and The Moroccan ACM.

Headquartered at Baylor University and known as the "Battle of the Brains," the world's oldest and most prestigious programming competition challenged 128 university teams, each comprised of three students, to solve a series of complex real-world problems in just five hours. Demonstrating the elite talent of its team members, St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics successfully solved all 13 problems to earn the victory. The World Champions return home with "The World's Smartest Trophy."

"The ACM-ICPC is a wonderful opportunity for students from around the world to convene, collaborate, and exchange different views and experiences," said Dr. Bill Poucher, ICPC Executive Director and Baylor University Professor. "I am excited to see what these students will do with the mastery they've gained from this contest and from each other as they continue their academic and professional pursuits as ACM members."

"IBM values this opportunity to assemble the brightest students from the world's leading universities and expose them to the latest technological innovations," said Gerald Lane, ACM-ICPC Sponsorship Executive and Director, IBM Open Technologies & IP. "These students are the future leaders of our industry and we are committed to fostering their development as they prepare to enter the global workforce."

Moscow State University, The University of Tokyo, and Tsinghua University finished the competition in second, third, and fourth places, all earning coveted gold medals. The regional champions are University of California at Berkeley (North America Region); St. Petersburg National Research University of IT, Mechanics and Optics (Europe Region); The American University in Cairo (Africa and the Middle East Region); Universidad de Buenos Aires - FCEN (Latin America Region); The University of Tokyo (Asia Region); and University of New South Wales (South Pacific Region).

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Media Contact - North Africa:
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