Hi, Codeforces!

Around this time, 15 years ago, I was deploying the first version of Codeforces on a server, registering my account, and writing the first post. 15 years have passed. Well, happy anniversary to us!

For me, this is the most exciting adventure — full of ups and downs, hard work, and moments of joy. What's amazing is that it was never a lonely journey. I've always had caring and reliable friends by my side! That includes the Codeforces team, coordinators and problem writers, our partners in various events, all community members, and, of course, our sponsors — steadfast supporters and helpers.

Look at what we've accomplished together! Here are some of the key metrics over the years. There seems to be plenty to celebrate!

On a day like this, of course, I want to share some good news. And we have some! We have fantastic news!

News #1. Our title sponsor, TON Foundation, has extended and expanded its support of our community. Honestly, I'm amazed by how many innovative projects are working on the TON blockchain. And their long-term and consistent support of the competitive programming community is a great gesture of trust. Thank you, TON!

News #2. In this context, I'd like to announce increased payouts for problem authors and coordinators. We all want to see new and exciting problems and regular rounds. Now, Div 1 + Div 2 round authors will receive 1150 USDT, and Div 2 round authors will receive 450 USDT. I hope this news will inspire the best of the best to organize rounds!

News #3. And that's not all! We're continuing to develop unique competitions in collaboration with TON Foundation. Very soon, you'll be able to participate in the first-ever competition on our platform for programming smart contracts on the TON network! I think this will be a fresh and exciting challenge for the competitive programming community.

News #4. From mid-February to March 9, we'll be hosting an entertaining Codeforces Blitz Cup 2025 with duels and live streams. It will be a small, friendly tournament. Its primary goal is to entertain — we want to try a different format and create a fun show from the community for the community. Sounds interesting?

We want to invite experienced participants from different communities and countries. Participants should be ready for some show elements—mini-interviews, helping with commentary, and participating with screen-sharing and webcams. If you're red (or have been red) and are interested in giving it a try, fill out the participant application form, and we'll consider your application!

That's all for now, I think. And now I'll go enjoy a piece of birthday cake.

Mike

P.S.
I've often been asked about repeating the crowdfunding campaign we last did five years ago. It's a great idea, and I'd love to do it again! Right now, there are some organizational and bureaucratic challenges to launching it properly. Let's see how they get resolved. Maybe we'll kick it off soon—or perhaps we'll wait for the next round binary date at 16 years!