icdl asia digital challenge 2026

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ICDL ASIA DIGITAL CHALLENGE 2026

ICDL Asia Digital Challenge is back! First held in 2017, this student competition has attracted the participation of over 52,000 students and 800 institutions from 18 countries across the Asia Pacific region. This competition is open to students from Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary categories.

ICDL – the International Certification of Digital Literacy – is the world’s leading digital skills certification. Since 1996, more than 17 million candidates have completed ICDL programmes across 100+ countries. With the ever-expanding integration of digital technologies in our daily lives, it is essential that students acquire the relevant digital skills for productivity and employability.

ICDL Asia Digital Challenge is geared towards practical digital skills, relevant both to students’ time in school, as well as in their further studies and future work. With an emphasis on the global digital economy, this competition will expose participants to emerging technologies, design, and the use of fundamental office application tools.

COMPETITION RULES

  1. The Digital Challenge is open to the following student categories:
    • Primary (recommended 9 – 12 years old)
    • Secondary (recommended 13 – 17 years old)
    • Tertiary (recommended 18 – 25 years old)
    • A student whose age is not in line with the recommended range as stated above should register under the category in which they are enrolled in their school / college / university.
  2. Finalists from previous editions of the Digital Challenge are not eligible to participate. Staff of ICDL Accredited Test Centres (ATCs) and their immediate family members are also not eligible to participate.
  3. Students provide registration information to Danawa Education. Danawa Education will submit the registration to ICDL on behalf of students. Participants shall prove their identity (using their student ID) at each round of the competition.
    • Danawa Education is committed to respecting privacy and to complying with all applicable data protection and privacy laws. Any personal information provided will be stored securely and confidentially and will not be made available to third parties unless stated clearly when you provide the information. Danawa Education only uses information for the purpose for which it was provided.
  4. Registration of interest can be made via the QR Code below:
    Registration QR Code

    Scan to Register Interest

  5. Materials for the Preliminary Round will only be released to the participants upon payment being received and may take up to 14 working days for processing.
  6. Registration will close on 4 May 2026.
  7. Schools / Colleges / Universities can register an unlimited number of participants for the Preliminary Round.
  8. The top 2 participants per track from each institution in the Preliminary Round will represent their institution in the National Round.
  9. The top 2 to 4 participants per track (depending on the number of participants from the respective country) in the National Round will represent their country in the Grand Final.
  10. The top 2 participants in the Preliminary Round and National Round will be judged based on (i) highest score and (ii) shortest time required to complete the relevant ICDL modules.

    Competition Overview

    Grand Final Awards Criteria

    Module refers to the respective ICDL module which is completed online. Successful completion of the Certification Test for each module will lead to the internationally recognised ICDL Certification in that module.

    Project refers to projects which are determined by key sponsors of the Digital Challenge. The themes and details for each project will be released by 5 Aug 2026. These projects are to be completed offline, but an online submission is required by 26 Aug 2026.

  11. Certification Test sessions for the Preliminary Round will be conducted by Danawa Education for its registered participants, by 12 June 2026.
  12. For Round 2 (National Round), the Certification Test sessions will be conducted by ICDL Asia. Participants may choose a session on either 9 July 2026 (1400-1700) or 14 July 2026 (0930-1230). No alternative dates are allowed.

COMPETITION ROUTE & DETAILS

Round 1: Preliminary Round

Participants are required to complete the Preliminary Round module.
(Application Essentials for Primary and Secondary, Spreadsheets for Tertiary)

Details:

  • Participants will be given an ICDL Module Pack (including eLearning materials) for the respective module.
    • The Application Essentials module covers fundamental concepts and skills needed to use common productivity tools effectively, i.e. word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations.
    • The Spreadsheets module covers the main concepts and skills needed to use spreadsheets, such as tasks associated with developing, formatting, modifying, and using a spreadsheet.
  • Participants are required to complete the Certification Test for this module online.
    • Duration: 45 minutes
    • Passing score: 75%
    • Format: multiple-choice, hot-spot, and in-application questions
  • Upon passing the Certification Test, participants will be able to download their ICDL eCertificate immediately.
  • Danawa Education will invigilate the Certification Test on-site or remotely. All results will be reviewed and verified by ICDL Asia.
  • Danawa Education will submit the Preliminary Round results of registered participants to ICDL Asia by 12 June 2026.

Round 2: National Round

Participants are required to complete the relevant ICDL modules based on their choice of competition track.

Details:

  • No additional fee is required for the National Round.
  • Participants will be given an ICDL Module Pack (including eLearning materials) for the respective module(s).
  • Participants will not be allowed to switch to a different track once they have been assigned with the ICDL modules for their registered track.
  • Participants are required to complete the Certification Test(s) for the respective module(s) online.
  • ICDL Asia will invigilate the test remotely. All results will be verified by ICDL Asia.
  • The Certification Test sessions will be conducted by ICDL Asia. Participants may choose a session on either 9 July 2026 (1400-1700) or 14 July 2026 (0930-1230). No alternative dates are allowed.
  • Upon passing the Certification Test, participants will be able to download their ICDL eCertificate immediately.

Round 3: Grand Final

Contestants are required to complete the relevant project based on their choice of competition track.

Grand Final Awards Criteria

Details:

  • No additional fee is required for the Grand Final.
  • Participants will not be allowed to switch to a different track.
  • The details of the Grand Final projects will be revealed during an online briefing session conducted by ICDL Asia before/on 5 Aug 2026.
  • ICDL Asia will send the Project Brief covering these details, as well as a recording of the briefing session, to all grand finalists.
  • Participants are required to complete and submit their respective projects via email to ICDL Asia by 26 August 2026, 5pm (GMT+8).
  • The Grand Final projects will be reviewed by a panel of reputable judges comprising experts from academia and industry.

  • The Grand Final winners will be awarded based on the criteria in the table below. There will be individual awards for each category (Primary / Secondary / Tertiary) in the respective tracks (Business / Design / Emerging Technologies).

    Grand Final Awards Criteria
    • The Grand Final winners will be announced during an Awards Ceremony in conjunction with ICDL Asia Digital Literacy Day 2026, which is expected to be held in Johor Bahru (20-21 Oct 2026) and Singapore (22 Oct 2026). Further details will be shared closer to the event dates.
    • Attendance at the Awards Ceremony by all Grand Final winners is mandatory. Winners may attend either physically (at their own costs) or virtually.
    • Danawa Education will contact winners for prizes that are not collected physically at the Awards Ceremony to confirm shipping arrangements and costs.

    Grand Final Prizes:

    • Trophy for Gold, Silver, and Bronze award winners
    • Medal for all other Grand Finalists
    • Digital certificate of participation for all Grand Finalists
    • Exclusive interview to be featured on ICDL Asia email newsletter and social media

    Note: All prizes are not interchangeable with cash.

Get Involved

If you have any enquiries regarding the ICDL Asia Digital Challenge 2026, please contact:

Phone Enquiries

Kuching: 082-364249

Kuala Lumpur: 03-23804151

WhatsApp

011-56579281

Registration of Interest QR Code

Danawa Registration QR

DANAWA EDUCATION

Official ICDL Accredited Test Centre (ATC)

ICDL Accredited Test Centre Logo

© 2026 ICDL Asia & Danawa Education

Since 1996, more than 17 million candidates have completed ICDL programmes in over 100 countries. Acquisition of relevant digital skills is essential for productivity and future employability.