Python challenge

At the Python Olympiad 2025 hosted by GEMA, one of the youngest participants to make an impression and take the consolation prize home was 11-year-old Kabir Kashab. In an interview with GEMA after his win, Kabir shared how he discovered programming and the process behind his Olympiad project along with what his plans for the future are. Kabir’s journey into coding through curiosity and experimentation during the lockdown era. He first began with beginner-friendly platforms such as Scratch, Pictoblocks, and Code.org before moving on to more complex coding programmes such as Python. For him, this was the natural next step. “I wanted to learn Python after Scratch so I could move into proper coding,” he explained. That decision laid the groundwork for his eventual participation in the Olympiad. Preparation Process The International Python Olympiad was Kabir’s first ever programming competition. He acknowledged his family and mentors as his source of encouragement and with that motivation in mind he saw the competition as an opportunity to test the skills he had been learning only as a hobby up until this point. Kabir credits his father who is also a senior professional in the tech industry as one of his main inspirations. He also points to guidance from others in his father’s network who introduced him to Python and encouraged his early experiments with the language. Rather than focusing on the prize itself, Kabir viewed the competition as a platform to test his skills in a structured and competitive environment. Taking part in the competition gave Kabir experience in designing a project from start to finish under a time crunch which was a first for him. He approached the project in a systematic fashion, first sketching the framework and mapping out his game and then coding step by step. For his project, Kabir created a version of the classic Mad Libs game, which generates funny stories by filling in blanks with random words. The most difficult part of the entire process for Kabir was having to deal with bugs. Kabir admitted that he spent more time looking at “tiny details” in his code before moving on to major structures, since even small syntax errors can derail an entire program. This patient, detail-oriented method helped him push through obstacles and complete his submission. Kabir’s Interests Outside Coding Kabir shared that he particularly enjoys working with Matplotlib which is a library within Python for data visualization. Learning how to create charts and diagrams through this library helped him figure out that Python was much more than just games. Outside of programming and coding, Kabir is active in sports such as badminton, cricket, and table tennis, and also plays the guitar and drums. Kabir’s Thoughts on Teamwork When asked whether he prefers to work alone or in a team, Kabir said that he was comfortable with both but tends to favor independent work. Working alone gives him space to explore his ideas freely and at his own pace without having to compromise for a team effort. Even so, he has collaborated with peers during a school hackathon. Kabir currently is in the process of developing his own app GardenCraft which is designed to help people plan home gardens. He contributed the Python code as well as HTML and CSS for the layout, while his teammates used C++ to handle other parts of the app. His experience in the Python Olympiads has allowed him to balance independence with teamwork and exposed him to real-world collaboration. Conclusion In the next five to ten years, Kabir wants to design and develop more advanced apps and games. At the same time, in a thoughtful address, he noted that artificial intelligence will increasingly handle aspects of coding, which makes it important for young programmers to understand AI and new technologies. Overall, Kabir’s participation in the Python Olympiad demonstrates how early exposure to programming and the impact of structured challenges motivates young learners to pursue their imagination and creativity in non traditional ways.