Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, announced the winners of the 2026 edition of its global coding competition, TCS CodeVita™.

TCS CodeVita™, now in its 13th edition, drew a record 146,922 participants from around the world who competed through multiple challenging coding rounds, strengthening its position as the top global platform for emerging programming talent. This year’s edition set a new standard, earning TCS a Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest computer programming competition, surpassing its previous record from 2021. 

Outstanding Chennai Achievements at TCS CodeVita™:

Balashiva S (Chennai, India) - Winner, Best Emerging Coder Category

Balashiva’s exceptional analytical and programming skills stood out among thousands of global entrants, earning him the title of Best Emerging Coder 2026

Keerthi KP (Chennai) - First Runner-Up, Best Women Coders Category

Keerthi delivered a stellar performance, representing the strongest cohort of women coders in CodeVita’s history, securing the First Runner-Up position in the Best Women Coders category

These accomplishments reflect Chennai’s growing prominence as a hub for world-class coding and innovation, aligned with TCS’s aim to empower young technologists with platforms that nurture problem-solving excellence and real-world application skills.

Swapnil Dangarikar, Senior Adjudicator, Guinness World Records, said, “TCS CodeVita has earned the unique distinction of breaking the record for the largest computer programming competition with 146,922 participants in its 13th season of organizing this competition. TCS CodeVita broke its own previous record set in season 9. This solidifies TCS’s goal of promoting programming as a sport and a force for positive change.”

Sudeep Kunnumal, Chief Human Resources Officer, TCS, said, “Setting another Guinness World Record is a proud achievement for everyone at TCS. My heartfelt congratulations to this year’s winner and all the finalists. TCS CodeVita gives aspiring coders a global stage to showcase their ability to solve complex real-world problems. As generative AI reshapes the technology landscape, our ability to find and cultivate the right talent is more critical than ever. CodeVita remains central to that effort, helping us identify high-potential talent through an engaging, gamified recruitment platform.”

Now in its 13th season, TCS CodeVita continues to showcase some of the world’s brightest programming minds, pushing the boundaries of competitive coding excellence. This year, the competition saw a new mini-competition instituted. The 30 finalists appeared for an AI-assisted programming competition with the objective of understanding the dynamics of Human&ndashsh;AI collaboration to solve complex programming problems. TCS provided the participants with frontier AI models, including ChatGPT, Claude Sonnet, and Gemini, to derive innovative solutions. This allowed TCS to capture in real time how humans use AI in roles of validator, collaborator, or outsourcing partner. Another highlight of this season was the strong representation of women coders from India. Six Indian women finalists made it to the global top 30, the highest ever across all the editions thus far.

CodeVita is an open-book competition that allows participants to research, explore, and solve problems of varying complexities within sixhours. Each round presents a fresh set of real-world challenges that become complex as the competition progresses. Historically, only the top 25 contestants make it to the final round. This year, 30 exceptional coders, representing eight foreign and 22 Indian countries, qualified for the top spot, reflecting the exceptional calibre of talent in the 2026 edition. 

The contest is open to students enrolled in colleges and universities worldwide and uses a gamified model to promote programming as a sport. Over the years, hundreds of participants have gone on to secure roles at TCS, with selected finalists earning internships with TCS Research and Innovation.