The Surrey Cyber Security Cluster collaborated with SANS Institute to host the UK Cyber Team Showcase at the Login Lounge in Camberley on the 15 November 2025.
This event brought together the 2025 UK Cyber team, industry leaders, and government representatives to celebrate and reflect on the competition. Hearing from the UK Cyber Team about sharing their journey to achieving 22nd place globally—after a six-year break—truly highlighted the exceptional cyber talent there is in the UK.
The panel discussion was a highlight as we learned from Hani Momeninia and the team how AI is fundamentally transforming competitions like the ECSC, and how teams that embrace AI tooling and automation will gain a significant edge over those relying on traditional methods alone. As the competition evolves, it’s essential that future UK teams are equipped with these capabilities to remain competitive on the international stage.
Sophia McCall delivered a powerful message on the importance of diversity in cybersecurity, emphasising why we must continue to encourage more young women into the field. Closing the gender gap is not just a matter of fairness—it’s about bringing varied perspectives and problem-solving approaches that make the industry stronger. Team captains Katy Harrington and Isaiah Rennalls added valuable insights into what it truly takes to compete at this level including the importance of teamwork.
Lucy Hindmarsh (DSIT) provided an informative introduction about skills and spoke about the importance of the cyber resilience bill. Simon Newman (UKC3) presented the cluster collaboration network and its role in the cybersecurity ecosystem and the critical importance of cyber skills for UK national security and economic resilience. Beverley Lewis presented the Surrey Cyber Security Cluster and its important focus on skills and how capture the flag competitions open doors to students studying in this field to employment opportunities.
Andy Snowball (BAE Systems) ran an excellent CTF throughout the event and indusry partners—NCC Group, Admiral Group Plc, and Cyberhash UK— presented the employability session and spoke about nurturing the next generation of cyber talent.
The SCSC Capture the Flag event was held on the 29 October, and the winning teams were presented with their prizes at the event. The winner, by a small margin, is 0xSLOP, representing the Royal Holloway, University of London. Their final score was a very impressive 12,975, representing a clean sweep with no hints whatsoever. 2nd and 3rd place were team members from the UK Cyber Team. Their margin of victory is very, very slim – 2nd place, Tritoke, only finished 35 points behind them. While the gap to 3rd place, the UK Lawnmowing Team, was a little larger, it’s still only around 800 points; 6% of the winning score!