Regional Mayors Cyber Cup
One region. Shared ambition. A year of real progress.
The 2026 Inland Empire Mayors Cyber Cup brought students, educators, employers, and civic leaders together—and kept students learning long after competition day.
A competition that builds momentum for an entire region.
The seventh annual Inland Empire Mayors Cyber Cup showed what a region can accomplish when schools, colleges, industry, and civic leaders invest in students together. Across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, learners practiced real cybersecurity skills, competed as teams, discovered career possibilities, and earned recognition in their communities.
The most compelling result came after the awards: students kept practicing. The final report recorded challenge-solving activity into June, weeks after the April 25 competition. The Cup gave the region a shared goal—and learners a reason to keep going.
2026 Inland Empire: a year of measurable engagement
- Students enrolled
- 549Students enrolled
- Schools represented
- 32Schools represented
- Teams across the program year
- 58Teams across the program year
- Cybersecurity challenges solved
- 13,618Cybersecurity challenges solved
Program-year snapshot as of June 12, 2026: 36 coaches supported learners across two counties. Students earned more than 1.75 million points, and 353 students solved at least one challenge. Program-year totals include practice and differ from competition-day attendance.
APRIL 25, 2026 · INLAND EMPIRE
Three hours. 4,834 challenges solved. A region showing what it can do.
On competition day, 240 competitors on 50 teams from 23 schools put their preparation to the test. Middle school, high school, college, and adult-school learners worked through cybersecurity challenges and earned 440,249 points. For students, it was a chance to apply what they had learned under pressure. For the region, it was visible evidence of local talent ready to grow.
“The different challenges helped me narrow down what career paths I want to chase.”
BUILD THE PROGRAM AROUND THE PEOPLE
Support the coach. Open the door for more students.
The Cup succeeds when educators have the tools and support to turn interest into participation. In 2026, a rebuilt Coach Dashboard helped coaches manage onboarding, parental releases, team formation, and student activity. Training sessions, recordings, and a year-round practice environment supported both experienced programs and first-season teams. The result is a program that can live in the classroom, an after-school club, or a growing CTE pathway.
CONNECT PRACTICE TO THE PEOPLE DOING THE WORK
Real industry voices. A clearer view of what comes next.
CyberNuggets connects students and educators with cybersecurity professionals through a searchable video library. In 2026, industry perspectives—from healthcare security to GIS and red teaming—helped connect technical practice with real work. Browse speakers and curated playlists, or sign in to save favorites, build your own collections, and use Smart Search on processed video transcripts. Bring a relevant conversation into the lesson before, during, or after the competition season.
Connections that can become career opportunities.
The 2026 report documents a concrete example of the Cup’s regional value. Through the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, Chaffey College cybersecurity students connected with local employer Vertical IT Solutions. That relationship developed into an internship and apprenticeship pathway—connecting student capability with an employer close to home.
That is the opportunity for a region: bring educators, chambers, colleges, and employers into the same conversation, give students a chance to show what they can do, and build relationships that can outlast the event.
MAKE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT A COMMUNITY STORY
The students earn it. The whole community celebrates.
The regional perpetual trophy brings cybersecurity achievement into civic life. In 2026, Great Oak High School’s first-place high school finish earned the trophy for Temecula. Medal and trophy presentations at schools, colleges, and community gatherings made student effort visible beyond the competition platform. That recognition gives municipal leaders, families, and local businesses a shared reason to champion the next group of learners.
Give your region more than a date on the calendar.
Use the Cup as a shared focus for cybersecurity learning, educator support, and regional partnership. Students gain opportunities to practice and collaborate. Schools and colleges gain a way to connect classroom learning with further study. Employers and civic leaders gain a visible place to support local talent.
synED helps bring the pieces together: program planning, outreach, coach support, training coordination, competition delivery, and recognition. Build on the people and programs already in your region, then give them a common goal.
Cyber skills—and the human skills employers value
Team challenges give students a practical setting to explain their thinking, share responsibility, persist through setbacks, and adapt together.
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
Persistence (Grit)
Adaptability
Explore the Regional Mayors Cyber Cup reports
Start with the 2026 and 2025 Inland Empire reports, then explore earlier regional results. Open a report’s library detail page to learn more and download it.
Make your region’s next cyber success story possible.
Bring your schools, colleges, employers, and civic leaders together around local talent. Tell us about your region and your goals—whether you want to launch a program, expand participation, or build stronger connections to education and careers.