AI Hackathon 2025

With only 5 years left to achieve the 2030 SDGs and 84% of targets off-track, the AI Hackathon brings together diverse minds to create technological solutions for our most pressing global challenges. You'll learn new skills, create connections, make an impact and network with mentors in our safe space to play and promote AI for Good. 

Each hackathon team will pitch their solution to a judging panel and regional winners will be announced. Our national judging panel will then select 4 finalists to pitch their idea at the 2025 Aotearoa AI Summit, 18 September in Auckland, where the audience votes for the national winner. 

Times: 

• August 12th starts 9.00am 

• August 13th finishes 5.00pm 

Prices: 

• MDS Student Ticket: Free 

• General Ticket: $25.00 + $2.00 fee 

• Mentor Ticket: Free 

Registrations Close: 11 August

How it works 

Each location hosts a 48 hour hackathon. All pitches are recorded and winners are selected in each location. Our judging panel will then select finalists to pitch their idea at the Aotearoa AI Summit on 18 September in Auckland. The Summit audience will then vote for their favourite solution and the award winning team will be announced. 

What is the challenge? 

From addressing food insecurity in a food-exporting nation, enhancing digital accessibility for all communities, upskilling our workforce for an AI-driven future, fostering cross-border collaboration, and honouring indigenous environmental custodianship, we’re solving real-world problems. 

"Problems to Solve" Brief - HERE

What else do I need to know? 

Prior to our hackathon festival we will be hosting live Q&A sessions and providing useful resources to help you prepare.  

Hackathons are a safe place for a diverse range of people to unite and solve problems. Building a team with a variety of skills will help ensure your success. 

Do I need a team or can individuals enter? 

When you register, let us know if you’re entering a team or as an individual. 

AI Forum Hackathon 2025 Resources and Information:

Live Q&A (29 July) – Register: https://ai-activator.circle.so/c/ai-hackathon-festival-2025/live-qa-session-29-july

Key Dates: https://ai-forum-nz.circle.so/c/ai-hackathon-festival-2025

Resources: https://ai-forum-nz.circle.so/c/hackathon-resources/

Team Formation: https://ai-forum-nz.circle.so/c/team-creation/

"Become Hack Fit" Online Learning Series hosted by Midu Chandra:

• Tuesday July 22nd (4-5pm): Tell the Story with AI (https://ai-forum-nz.circle.so/c/ai-hackathon-festival-2025/tell-the-story-with-ai).
  Pitching is an art and a science, and like it or not, regardless of how great your idea is, your pitch is the only tool to communicate it. Let us help you get all your key ingredients right, then enable you with some powerful tools and tips to level-up your pitch.
• Thursday July 24th (4-5pm): Design Thinking with AI: (https://ai-forum-nz.circle.so/c/ai-hackathon-festival-2025/design-thinking-with-ai). Building solutions that solve a real need is hard to do, not because of the solution, but a lot of the time it’s down to the need and understanding the user’s struggle. Typically this is solved for with many cycles of the design thinking process, but what if you could take that to the next level with AI? We’ll show you how.
• Tuesday July 29 (4-5pm): Accessible Futures: Honouring Indigenous Custodianship in the Digital Age: (https://ai-forum-nz.circle.so/c/ai-hackathon-festival-2025/accessible-futures-honouring-indigenous-custodianship-in-the-digital-age). Exploring how we can create more inclusive and equitable digital spaces, this session focuses on enhancing digital accessibility for people of all backgrounds, abilities, and communities. We’ll also reflect on the importance of indigenous knowledge systems, highlighting the deep relationship between indigenous communities and environmental stewardship. We’ll look — into digital practices, ensuring technology respects cultural heritage and promotes sustainability. This session will be led by Lee Timutimu.
• Thursday July 31 (4-5pm): Agentic Frameworks: (https://ai-forum-nz.circle.so/c/ai-hackathon-festival-2025/agentic-frameworks). Building agentic workflows at scale is being made easier by the day through a combination of Open Source and Platform toolsets. There are some core concepts that need to be understood before diving into it. We’ll explain these core concepts and then dive into a couple of toolsets that will help you practically build something within the hackathon.

What past attendees have said

“Being a part of this experience was nothing short of phenomenal, as I had the privilege to collaborate with some of the sharpest minds out there. Together, we embarked on a quest to cook up innovative solutions and dive deep into the exciting world of AI, all while uniting our efforts to combat pressing global issues. The event saw teams pouring their hearts and souls into the challenges, resulting in a whirlwind of astonishing ideas and unwavering teamwork.”

“The two-day event brought together brilliant minds passionate about AI technology and the environment, with a shared goal of finding innovative solutions to address pressing environmental challenges.

As a judge, I had the privilege of witnessing outstanding pitches and solutions presented by the participating teams. The level of creativity, technical expertise, and problem-solving skills displayed by each team was truly inspiring.”