Teams will compose policy recommendations and justify their decision-making process, with the scenario focusing on regional contexts and strengthening cooperation and capacity building in cyber in Latin America.

The Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge is the world’s only cyber policy and strategy competition for students. Since its establishment in 2012, over 5,000 students have been trained through the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge. The competition in Santo Domingo is designed to train college and university students in Latin America from across all academic disciplines about cyber crisis management and response planning. Working in teams of 4,  students will learn how to respond to a scenario examining a cyber crisis with reaching impacts on national security, public policy, diplomacy, and more. Teams will present their recommendations to a panel of senior expert judges drawn from government, industry, and civil society, who will evaluate the teams’ responses. Through competing, students will develop key skills in policy analysis and effective communication, while also developing networking connections with potential employers and mentors from government and industry.

Since its establishment in Washington, DC and now entering its eleventh year globally, the competition has expanded its reach globally, with regional competitions across the US, Europe and Africa. Link