diff --git a/blog/_posts/2025-11-21-advent-of-code-announce.md b/blog/_posts/2025-11-21-advent-of-code-announce.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..9674e84a4 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/_posts/2025-11-21-advent-of-code-announce.md @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +--- +layout: blog-detail +post-type: blog +by: Seth Tisue, Scala Core Team; Jamie Thompson +title: "Join us for the Advent of Code 2025" +--- + +## Help the elves! + +For the fifth time, the Scala Center is supporting the Scala community's participation in the annual **Advent of Code** challenge for 2025. (See [Advent of Code Recap 2024](https://www.scala-lang.org/blog/2025/01/16/advent-of-code-recap.html) for a recap of 2024's edition). + +We hope you will join us! + +## What is Advent of Code? + +[**Advent of Code**](https://adventofcode.com), created by [Eric Wastl](http://was.tl/), is an annual event consisting of a series of Christmas-themed programming puzzles. The puzzles are released daily from December 1st through December 12th. The puzzles start easy and get harder as they go. + +The goal for participants is pure enjoyment. But also, you can sharpen your coding skills and improve your knowledge of your programming language of choice (which is Scala, of course). + +Note that the event is now 12 days long, not 25 days like previous years. + +## Discord channel + +We have re-opened the `#advent-of-code` [Discord channel](https://discord.com/channels/632150470000902164/913451015246868530) at the official [Scala Discord Server](https://discord.com/invite/scala). + +Here you can discuss the puzzles, share solutions, and ask for help. + +The channel topic also has a link to a Scala-specific leaderboard, with a code for joining. + +## Read sample solutions on our website + +Our [Scala Center Advent of Code website](https://scalacenter.github.io/scala-advent-of-code/2025/) is ready to go for 2025. + +Once the event begins, we will post a daily article for each puzzle, a day or two after you've had a chance to solve it yourself. + +Each article shows a sample solution and explains how it works. Articles are contributed by community members and vetted by the community and the Center. + +We want to showcase how Scala helps you write elegant solutions out-of-the-box, so the sample solutions will only use the Scala 3 standard library. + +## Share your solutions + +If you would like to write one of the sample articles, you can volunteer [on this page](https://github.com/scalacenter/scala-advent-of-code/discussions/842). + +Each day's article also includes links to alternate solutions. To add your own solution link, click "Edit this page" on a puzzle page to make a pull request adding a link to your solution. + +## Why we do this + +At the [Scala Center](https://scala.epfl.ch), we love writing code in Scala, and we hope you do too. One of our core priorities is to _communicate excitement about Scala_, which motivates us to participate in the Advent of Code and share experiences solving problems with Scala with the wider programming community. + +Another key priority is to improve the _onboarding experience for newcomers_. Part of that experience comes from the first impressions someone has reading Scala code. We hope that by reading the articles on [our solutions website](https://scalacenter.github.io/scala-advent-of-code/), newcomers can see that Scala is an elegant language for solving problems. + +Please urge your employer to [support the Scala Center](https://scala.epfl.ch/donate.html). + +## Conclusion + +We thank [@spamegg1](https://github.com/spamegg1) for co-organizing. + +See you soon and happy coding!