Thai Students from KMITL Win First Prize in Computing Track at Huawei ICT Competition Global Final in Shenzhen

A team of undergraduate students from the School of Information Technology, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), competing under the name "SIGKILL," has won First Prize in the Computing Track at the Global Final of the Huawei ICT Competition 2025-2026, held from June 2 to 5, 2026, at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen, China.

The achievement marks the culmination of a year-long journey. Team SIGKILL had to clear three stages of selection, advancing from the national level, through the Asia-Pacific regional level, all the way to the global stage that brought together the best 177 teams from 49 countries and regions worldwide. The Closing & Awards Ceremony was held on June 5, 2026.

Where First Prize Stands on the Global Stage

The Huawei ICT Competition is an annual event in information and communication technology (ICT) that Huawei organizes for students and faculty from universities around the world.

At the Global Final, the main awards are ranked from the Grand Prize, the highest honor in each track, followed by First Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize. There are also special awards such as the Green Development Award for work that applies technology toward sustainability, and the Women in Tech Award for outstanding female participants.

This year, the Grand Prize went to 18 teams from 8 countries: China, Nigeria, Singapore, Algeria, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic. Team SIGKILL's First Prize in the Computing Track, the tier immediately below the Grand Prize, therefore places the Thai team among the world's top performers in this track, competing against rivals who advanced through an intensely selective process from hundreds of thousands of participants worldwide.

A Three-Stage Climb to Shenzhen

The Practice Competition, which includes the Computing Track, follows a four-round selection structure: the National Preliminary, the National Final, the Regional Final, and the Global Final. In simpler terms, teams climb through three major stages, from the national level (which has two sub-rounds), to the regional level, and finally to the global level.

Team SIGKILL's journey began at the national level in November 2025, where the team won First Prize in the Computing Track at the national stage. That result earned them the right to represent Thailand in the regional round.

At the Asia-Pacific Regional Final, held from May 12 to 14, 2026, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, and co-organized by Huawei and the ASEAN Foundation, Team SIGKILL won First Runner-up among students from more than 13 countries in the region. This result secured their place as the Asia-Pacific representative heading to the final round in Shenzhen.

And it was in Shenzhen that the Thai team closed out their entire journey with First Prize in the Computing Track at the global level.

Who Is Team SIGKILL

Team SIGKILL consists of three undergraduate students from the School of Information Technology, KMITL:

1. Mr. Peeranat Madsor, 4th-year student, Information Technology major
2. Mr. Jarukitti Sripaploen, 4th-year student, Information Technology major
3. Mr. Teepda Chuenprempreed, 2nd-year student, Information Technology major

Throughout the competition, the team was mentored and advised by three faculty members from the School of Information Technology: Associate Professor Dr. Chotipat Pornwanlai, Assistant Professor Dr. Sumet Prabhavat, and Assistant Professor Dr. Laphat Praditthasanee.

Huawei ICT Competition: A Stage That Grows Every Year

The Huawei ICT Competition was first held in 2015, and this year marks its 10th edition, under the theme "Connection, Glory, Future." The competition gives students and faculty a platform to sharpen their ICT knowledge, develop hands-on skills, and build their ability to innovate with the latest technologies and platforms.

In terms of scale, this 10th edition drew more than 220,000 students and faculty from over 2,000 institutions in more than 100 countries and regions, the largest edition in the competition's history. Cumulatively, across all 10 editions, the competition has attracted more than 1.18 million student participants worldwide.

For this year's Global Final, 177 teams from 49 countries and regions advanced and received awards, competing across three main tracks: Practice, Innovation, and Programming. That the Thai team went the distance and brought home an award stands as testament to the capability of Thai students on the international technology stage.

What the Computing Track Involves

The Practice Competition that Team SIGKILL entered is divided into four sub-tracks: the Network Track, the Cloud Track, the Computing Track, and the Ascend AI Track (artificial intelligence on Huawei's Ascend chips, available only in the Chinese mainland).

The Computing Track, in which the Thai team won, assesses both theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills in computing, through written exams and lab exams. Participants must be fluent in the relevant technical theories and experiments, and they are ranked by their exam scores. The intensity of this track lies in the need to master both principles and practical execution under pressure.

Team SIGKILL's success shows that Thailand's cultivation of ICT talent can compete at the global level, and serves as an inspiration for the next generation of students to step out and test their skills on the international stage.