KNAPP coding contest 2025

It’s that time of the year again! On February 28, 2025, KNAPP headquarters opened their doors to around 100 young tech whizzes from all over Austria for the thirteenth annual coding contest. Competitors proved their mettle by solving a complex coding task related to automated warehouse logistics. At the end of the day, the two winners of the high school and university categories each took home a prize of 1,000 euros.

The KNAPP coding contest is well established as a major event for up-and-coming IT talents. During the contest, students had the chance to show off their coding skills, gain valuable experience and test their knowledge with a tricky programming task taken straight from the world of logistics. Competitors also received an introduction to highly sought-after internships offered at KNAPP, one of Styria’s leading IT employers – and the top three programmers in each category each took home a cash prize. “The KNAPP coding contest is very important to us because it offers young IT talents the opportunity to test and develop their abilities in a realistic environment. The enthusiasm and creativity with which the participants approach their tasks is always impressive. Experiencing the next generation’s passion for innovation and seeing their potential up close and personal is incredible,” says Ingo Spörk, Vice President of Human Resources at KNAPP.

Real-life programming

The day kicked off with an opportunity for the students to learn more about career paths and different ways to start a career in software or IT at KNAPP. Then, it was time for the competition. Competitors had two and a half hours to solve a complex programming task from the real world of automated warehouse logistics at KNAPP. This year’s task was about optimizing the processing of customer orders for a two-step picking system, which entailed programming the retrieval of products from racks and their placement into buffer boxes. Participants were able to continuously improve the results of their first solutions by shortening the distance traveled. Solving the programming task provided valuable hands-on experience and offered the competitors a glimpse behind the scenes at a successful tech company.

And the winner is…

At the traditional beer and burger bar, participants could recharge after the competition and relax while waiting for the winners to be announced. The winners of the 13th annual KNAPP coding contest are Felix Reimüller from TU Graz and Benjamin Höllmüller from HTL Rennweg. They were able to secure the coveted prize money of 1,000 euros each in this year’s coding contest. Noah Arsic from HTL Villach came second in the student category, followed by Clemens Wolfsberger from HTL Rennweg in third place. HTL Rennweg won the prize for the best institution for the third year in a row. Among the students, Johannes Riedmüller (FH Joanneum) and Florentin Wassilikos (TU Graz) took second and third place behind winner Felix Reimüller from TU Graz.

Find more information and photos from the coding contest at https://www.coding-contest.at/

Results KNAPP coding contest on February 28, 2025

About KNAPP

KNAPP is an international technology company based in Styria, Austria. The company develops and manufactures intelligent warehouse systems using the latest technologies in digitalization, software, automation and robotics. At KNAPP, an innovative spirit, an international work environment and a strong sense of teamwork are highly valued. Worldwide, the company has about 8,300 employees, each bringing their individual backgrounds, qualifications and points of view to the table. What brings them together is the passion they feel for their work. They know that providing first-class service within long-term partnerships makes KNAPP the strong partner behind the success of their customers, which include the food retailer SPAR, the pharmaceutical wholesaler Herba Chemosan, the fashion brand HUGO BOSS, and the e-commerce giant Zalando.