New in 2026, the UTampa cybersecurity program will be hosting the Gasparilla Capture the Flag (CTF) event on Feb. 7, 2026, location to be confirmed.

• Open for all college students in the Tampa Bay area.
• 4-hour in-person event
• 3-4 person teams with multiple teams
• Prizes (to be announced)

Just like stickers, competitions are a big part of the cybersecurity lifestyle. A CTF is a hands-on tournament where individuals and teams solve realistic security challenges to capture “flags” and score points. It is a safe and engaging event to practice technical and professional skills on isolated systems. CTFs can have a specific focus, such as social engineering, or can cover multiple security areas. While most events take 3-4 hours to complete, it is not uncommon to have one or two-day-long events.

• Competency building: Students practice offensive and defensive techniques used by security teams in the real world.
• Portfolio evidence: Students receive a report on their performance and ranking, produce write-ups and create challenge artifacts to show tangible ability.
• Teamwork and leadership: Students can have roles, share responsibilities, collaborate and depend on each other
• Confidence and grit: Students will build resilience working towards timed challenges under pressure
• Career visibility: Students can meet mentors, judges, and recruiters and their professional network for future internships and jobs.