Provincial tryouts for the eighth Network Originality Competition (NOC) started in early April in Shijiazhuang, capital of the northern province. Some 300 teachers and students attended the opening ceremony.

The annual nationwide competition, the first of its kind in the country, aims to promote application and innovation in information technology in primary and secondary education. It has attracted more than 23 million teacher and student participants since it was founded in 2002.

"Through a variety of competitions like making webpages, animations, short videos and robotics, we seek to inspire student interest in innovation and encourage teachers to use information technology in their teaching," said Wang Liming, deputy head of the organizing committee office.

Regional tryouts have also started in Tianjin and Liaoning province. This year's final is planned for Wuxi, Jiangsu province in May.