The inaugural Cyber Bowl was a collaborative, month-long event to promote cybersecurity awareness during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month last October. NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University competed, with over 5,300 students, faculty, and staff participating by completing a five-question quiz. NC State had the highest number of individual participants (2,188), but UNC-Chapel Hill won the championship with 6.45% of its population participating. The event, spearheaded by NC State’s Cybersecurity Awareness Team (CSAT), aimed to educate participants on topics like phishing and password security.

The second annual Cyber Bowl is already being planned for October 2025. “This year, I’m even more excited and proud to announce we’ve expanded to include five more North Carolina schools: UNC Wilmington, North Carolina A&T, East Carolina University, Winston-Salem State University and Elizabeth City State University,” says Gabriella Ferguson, member of CSAT. “It’ll be great to be back on campus, engaging with our university communities and providing them with helpful information and resources on cyber safety to protect the pack. And of course, I’m also looking forward to winning this year!”