Student hackathon

Hackathon format

Team registrations opening soon.

The hackathon will comprise of two rounds. In the first round, there will be an introductory session in which the specific hackathon problem is revealed, briefings by industry experts a Q&A session that will assist in developing your entry.

During the following weeks, each team will work on their proposal and at the conclusion in late July, teams will be asked to submit a short, visually appealing document of no more than two A4 pages (or one A3 page) and a short three - five-minute video presentation outlining their proposed solution.

Finalists from the first round will be invited to deliver an in-person pitch at Chemeca 2024 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

    • 5–6 Members

    • You are welcome to include up to 2 team members from disciplines other than chemical engineering

    • At least 4 team members must be able to attend Chemeca in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

    • Open to undergraduate, masters or PhD students (maximum 2 PhD students per team)

    • Most universities have a nominated coordinator – they may be able to assist if you are having difficulty finding enough people to form a team

    • Each team member needs to register individually

    • 1st Prize – Mentoring with Hackathon sponsors and AUD500 per team member

    • 2nd Prize – Mentoring with Hackathon sponsors and AUD350 per team member

    • 3rd Prize – AUD200 per team member

    • All finalists will be invited to an exclusive opportunity at the conference (details to follow)

    • Chair: Jo Kirby, Hatch

    • Catherine Muldoon, IChemE

    • Zoee Shelley, Rio Tinto

    • Nick Smith, Exxon Mobil

    • Benjy Lee, Future Fuel CRC representative

    • 31 May 12:00 AEST, 14:00 NZST: Team registrations close

    • 2 August 12:00 AEST, 14:00 NZST: Hackathon entries close

    • 5–9 August: Shortlisting and judging of entries

    • 12 August: Finalists advised of selection

    • 29 September to 1 October: Chemeca conference

    • 29 September: Hackathon Twist begins

    • 1 October: Final presentations

Chemeca sessions

During Chemeca 2024, there will be further elements to the problem revealed that will need to be incorporated into the final pitch.

To assist with delivering the best possible pitch, there will be a number of relevant Chemeca sessions to attend, together with the opportunity to speak to keynote speakers and conference participants during breaks.

The hackathon will conclude with each group giving a short presentation and answering questions from a judging panel of industry experts.

Students presenting at Chemeca