From 13 to 15 March 2026, UQ Library hosted HackAIthon, a hackathon for UQ students, in partnership with the UQ Sustainable Innovators Club (UQSIC).
One hundred and thirty UQ students attended the HackAIthon event to tackle real-world challenges and enjoy a weekend of meeting new people and competing for fantastic prizes.
About the hackathon
Entry to HackAIthon was free, with a ‘hack-pack’ add-on available for purchase. The hack-pack included catering and exclusive event merchandise such as a t-shirt, lanyard and stickers. Strong interest from students led to the event being fully booked out a week ahead.
Pre-event webinars and workshops
Ahead of the main event, UQSIC hosted 3 webinars exploring the 5 HackAIthon themes and the Library delivered 3 AI skills workshops to support participants in developing confidence with AI tools.
The event weekend
HackAIthon officially opened on 13 March, with participants welcomed by two UQSIC hosts: Jordan Greguletz, the ‘pro-AI fairy’, and Jack White, the ‘AI-sceptic fairy’, who introduced the challenges and facilitated team-building activities.
Jordan Greguletz, the ‘pro-AI fairy’, and Jack White, the ‘AI-sceptic fairy’, opening the event. Photo by Shaun Moon Photography.
The students formed 31 teams to work on real-world challenges across the 5 themes, developing innovative solutions to harness the potential of AI or manage its risks.
On 14 March, there was a critical thinking workshop led by Dr Michael Vincent and Professor Deborah Brown, followed by mentoring sessions in the afternoon. Fifteen mentors from UQ and industry volunteered their time to support teams as they refined their solutions.
On 15 March, semi-finals and finals took place with ten UQ academics and industry professionals assisting with judging to choose the most outstanding projects.
The winning teams
Five prizes were awarded to five winning teams.
First Place went to the Sew Sustainable team for Wear Wiser, a web app seeking to address the environmental impacts of fast fashion by supporting users to make more informed choices. Features included AI‑supported sustainability ratings for brands, curated shopping from verified ethical retailers and op shops, an AI-supported style preference builder (swipe left or right to develop your style), a wardrobe‑based outfit generator, and options to swap or sell clothing.
The winning team, Sew Sustainable, with judges Professor Kris Ryan and Professor Janet Wiles. Photo by Shaun Moon Photography.
Other winners included:
- Second Place: Burnt QuackHackers team for BingoBond, a gamified platform to address student loneliness and build connection.
- Third Place: What ra Sudeep team for SensAI, a browser extension designed to address privacy and data security issues when using LLMs.
- Judges’ Choice: Phaeton team created an AI-powered predictive maintenance software for floating solar farms.
- Judges’ Choice: GreenWorld team created a community hub encouraging collective action on sustainability.
The prizes
- 1st Place: A$2,500
- 2nd Place: A$1,500
- 3rd Place: A$1,000
- Judges’ Choice: 2 prizes of A$500
Feedback from the event
We collected feedback from 71 participants.
Feedback was very positive with students particularly valuing the mentoring and collaborating aspects of the event.
- 89% would recommend the event to others.
- 88% rated their overall satisfaction with the event as 4 or higher (out of 5).
- 91% found the event accessible and inclusive.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank everyone involved in the event.
- All the students who teamed up to bring great ideas and energy to the weekend.
- Our mentors and judges for volunteering their time and providing support and expertise.
We’d also like to extend a special thank you to our student partners, the UQSIC team. Involved in the event’s organisation since November last year, their contributions and extensive volunteer support throughout the event weekend were key to delivering a genuinely student‑centred experience and a highly successful hackathon.
UQSIC volunteer team with UQ and Library staff at the event. Photo by Shaun Moon Photography.
More events at the Library
Watch out for the Library's new Tech (Try Explore Create Hack) pop-ups, popping up all over campus with tech hacks, study tips and freebies. Keep an eye on our socials to find out when and where to catch them.
