#CodingLabStudents: Agastya Balaji, ICS 2025/26 Platinum Award Winner!
Congratulations to Agastya for winning the ICS 25/26 Platinum + Judge’s Choice (Best Design) Award!
Meet our Coding Lab student, Agastya Balaji, whose passion for coding has grown from creating simple block-based programs to building increasingly ambitious projects. At the International Coding Showcase (ICS) 2025/26, he impressed the judges with his creativity and technical ability, earning both the Platinum Award and the Judges' Choice (Best Design) Award.
His journey demonstrates how curiosity, perseverance, and a love for learning can transform simple ideas into outstanding projects. Now let’s hear more from Agastya about his coding journey!
“When my teacher introduced me to ICS, it proved to be a fantastic opportunity to apply my skills, overcome unfamiliar coding errors, and realize that learning doesn’t stop when the lesson ends.”
Question
Tell us a little about yourself!
I enjoy sim racing, cooking, and watching movies in my free time. I love trying new things, whether it's experimenting with recipes in the kitchen, competing in racing simulators, or simply relaxing with a good movie. These hobbies inspire my creativity and encourage me to keep learning new skills.
How did your coding journey begin?
My coding journey started when I was in Grade 3. My teacher first introduced me to block coding through Minecraft Hour of Code before I progressed to Scratch. From there, I became more interested in programming and gradually moved on to text-based coding. As I learned more, I started creating bigger and more challenging projects, which made me enjoy coding even more.
What inspired you to participate in ICS 2025/26?
My teacher introduced me to the International Coding Showcase, and my mum thought it would be a fun and exciting experience. I decided to give it a try, and it turned out to be a fantastic opportunity to challenge myself, apply my skills, and learn from the experience of building a project for an international competition.
What was the biggest lesson you learned during the project?
The biggest lesson I learned was the importance of perseverance and self-learning. Throughout the project, I encountered many errors and unfamiliar concepts that required patience to overcome. Every challenge pushed me to research, experiment, and keep improving until I found a solution. It taught me that learning doesn't stop when the lesson ends, and that persistence is one of the most valuable skills a programmer can have.
“From starting with Minecraft Hour of Code in Grade 3 to winning the Platinum Award at ICS 2025/26, my dream is to master Swift and C# and publish my own apps on the App Store!”
What are your aspirations for the future?
I want to continue learning new programming technologies and take on even bigger challenges. One of my goals is to learn Swift or C# so that I can develop my own games and applications. It has always been my dream to one day publish an app on the App Store, and I hope that with continued learning and practice, that dream will become a reality.
At Coding Lab, we're proud to see Agastya's enthusiasm for learning and his determination to overcome challenges through coding. His journey from block-based programming to developing increasingly advanced projects reflects the perseverance and curiosity that every great programmer needs. We look forward to seeing him continue pursuing his dream of creating games and publishing his own apps in the years ahead. Congratulations, and we wish him all the best on his coding journey!
Our #CodingLabStudents blogs feature our ambitious students and their ongoing coding journeys – be it the budding coder or advanced Python Pro, we appreciate each and every single one’s efforts as they progress to greater heights. 🌱
Coding Lab offers an award-winning curriculum specially for ages 5 to 18 – check out our courses to begin your own coding journey today!
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