Chennai Coders Shine on Global Stage at TCS Code Vita 2026
Chennai Coders Shine on Global Stage at TCS CodeVita™ 2026; Balashiva S Wins Best Emerging Coder, Keerthi KP Secures Top Women’s Honor.
21-year-old from China wins TCS CodeVita™ 2026 as TCS sets new Guinness World Records™ for the world’s largest coding competition
TCS sets a new milestone with 146,922 participants, surpassing its 2021 Guinness World Records™ title to remain the world’s largest coding championship
MUMBAI, February, 27, 2026: 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™. Zhou Jingkai, 21, from the People’s Republic of China, secured the top honour. Vincente Opazo from Chile and Jorge Valdivia from Peru emerged as the first and second runners up, respectively. This year’s edition marked a new benchmark, with 146,922 participants, earning TCS a new Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest computer programming competition, surpassing its previous record of 2021..
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 their own previous record set in season 9. This solidifies TCS’ 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 being instituted. The 30 finalists appeared for an AI-assisted programming competition with an objective to understand the dynamics of Human – 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..
Category Best Women Coders Best AI Coder Best Emerging Coder
Winner Tejaswini Singh, Lucknow, Zhou Jingkai, People’s Republic of China Balashiva S, Chennai, India
First Runner-up Keerthi KP, Chennai Benjamin Orellana, United States of America Jose Nunez, Ecuador
Second Runner-up Mahak Lachhwani, Bhopal Jorge Valdivia, Peru Gabriella Padilla, Ecuador
Zhou Jingkai, TCS CodeVita winner 2026, said, “Winning TCS CodeVita feels surreal, especially since I almost tasted victory last year as the top Emerging Coder of the Year. Participating in the world’s largest coding competition has been one of the most inspiring experiences for me. I returned to take part this year because it encourages us to sharpen our ability to break down complex challenges and think creatively under pressure. It provides a great opportunity to learn from fellow coders across the globe. I am grateful for this experience, which has not only strengthened my problem-solving capabilities but also inspired me to think differently.”
CodeVita is an open book competition that allows participants to research, explore, and solve problems of varying complexities within six hours. Each round presents a fresh set of real world challenge that becomes complex as the competition progresses. Historically, only the top 25 contestants make it to the final round, however this year, 30 exceptional coders representing eight foreign and 22 Indian’s qualified for the top spot, reflecting exceptional caliber of talent in the 2026 edition..
The contest is open to students enrolled in colleges and universities across the globe 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 an opportunity to intern with TCS Research and Innovation.
About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) is the technology partner of choice for industry-leading organizations worldwide. Since its inception in 1968, TCS has upheld the highest standards of innovation, engineering excellence and customer service.
It has set an aspiration to become the world’s largest AI-led technology services company and is enabling its clients to transform themselves across the full AI stack, from infrastructure to intelligence.
Rooted in the heritage of the Tata Group, TCS is focused on creating long term value for its clients, its investors, its employees, and the community at large. With a highly skilled workforce spread across 55 countries and 202 service delivery centers across the world, the company has been recognized as a top employer in six continents. With the ability to rapidly apply and scale new technologies, the company has built long term partnerships with its clients – helping them emerge as perpetually adaptive enterprises. Many of these relationships have endured into decades and navigated every technology cycle, from mainframes in the 1970s to artificial intelligence today.
TCS sponsors 14 of the world’s most prestigious marathons and endurance events, including the TCS New York City Marathon, TCS London Marathon and TCS Sydney Marathon with a focus on promoting health, sustainability, and community empowerment.
TCS generated consolidated revenues of over US $30 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025. For more information, visit www.tcs.com
Follow TCS on LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | X
TCS Media Contacts:
Corporate Communications & India Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected] | Phone: +91 22 6778 9098
