AI Hackathon 2026 is a one-day, in-person hackathon on Saturday 17 October 2026 at the Measurements Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Moratuwa. Teams of three turn an idea into a working AI-powered product in a single day using Jac, an open-source, AI-native programming language that brings agents, data, backend and frontend together.
One language. A whole AI stack. Endless possibilities.
Powered by Jaseci Labs, with EESoc. The main track is Hack the Future with Jac: build working software that makes real use of Jac and Jaseci, with at least 80% of your code in Jac.
What makes it special
- $1,000 in prizes: $500, $300 and $200 for the top three projects.
- Same-day results: judging happens after the deadline and winners are announced at the venue that evening.
- Jaseci team on-site: on hand all day to help with Jac and Jaseci.
- Free meals: a morning snack, lunch and an evening snack.
- All skill levels welcome.
Schedule (Sri Lanka time, Saturday 17 October)
|
Time |
What happens |
|---|---|
|
8:00 AM |
Registration and check-in |
|
9:00 AM |
Hacking begins |
|
5:30 PM |
Submission deadline: project and demo video |
|
After 5:30 PM |
Judging |
|
Evening |
Winners announced, the same day |
|
8:00 PM |
Event closes |
- Register on this page and form a team of 3. Every team member must register.
- Read up on Jac before the day: the docs are at jaclang.org/docs/latest, and the Jaseci site is jaseci.org.
- Look at Jac Hammer at jachammer.ai (docs). It lets you host your app for free on the sandbox, which is encouraged so judges can try your project.
- Arrive by 8:00 AM at the Measurements Laboratory, University of Moratuwa. Every team member checks in on the day.
- Star the Jac repo at github.com/jaseci-labs/jac. It is part of the submission checklist.
Requirements
Build a working piece of software that meaningfully uses Jac and Jaseci, with at least 80% of the code written in Jac. This is the main track, Hack the Future with Jac.
The idea is yours. Judges look for a project that is creative, useful and technically solid, and that shows real agentic behaviour: AI agents that do more than answer a single prompt. Each team builds one project, and all coding happens during hacking hours (9:00 AM to 5:30 PM).
What to SubmitSubmit through this Devpost page by 5:30 PM Sri Lanka time on Saturday 17 October 2026. Late entries can't win. Your submission needs:
- GitHub repository link. The code must be at least 80% Jac. Repos are checked against the rules.
- Demo video of the working project, submitted by 5:30 PM.
- Written description, including how you used Jac or Jaseci tools.
- A star on the Jac repo: github.com/jaseci-labs/jac.
Encouraged: host your app on Jac Hammer (jachammer.ai). The sandbox is free, and a live link makes it easier for judges to try your project.
Prizes
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Musab
Jaseci Labs
Farhan
Jaseci Labs
Kashmith
Jaseci Labs
Kugesan
Jaseci Labs
Mahfoos
Jaseci Labs
Malitha
Jaseci Labs
Udith
Jaseci Labs
Sahan Udayanga
Jaseci Labs
Hirudika
Jaseci Labs
Hushan
Jaseci Labs
Thiru
Jaseci Labs
Judging Criteria
-
Technical execution
Does the project work as shown, and is it well built? -
Excellent use of Jac and Jaseci
How well the project uses Jac and Jaseci tools, with at least 80% of the code in Jac. -
Creativity and innovation
How original the idea and the approach are. -
Depth of agentic behaviour
How far AI agents plan, decide and act on their own, beyond answering a single prompt. -
Impact and novelty
Whether it solves a real problem for real people, and how new it is. -
Clear presentation and demo video
How clearly the demo video and written description show what the project does and how you built it.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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