TechX Rwanda 2026: Future-Ready Tech Leaders

 

The TechX 2026 Thematic Hackathon brings together 100 students, young professionals, and tech enthusiasts at the University of Rwanda, Nyarugenge Campus.

Please note that only students in Rwanda are eligible for this hackathon. The final pitch showcase on Saturday, September 5th, 2026, is an in-person event held at the University of Rwanda, Nyarugenge Campus. All participants must be based in Rwanda and capable of physically attending the venue if their team is selected among the top finalists to present.

This fast-paced innovation challenge bridges academic learning and industry practice. Over three days, participants gain exposure to emerging tech trends, hands-on tool sessions in TensorFlow, Data Science, Cybersecurity, and Git, and direct guidance from dedicated Nano-Mentors to build open-source prototypes tackling real African challenges.

What Makes TechX 2026 Special?

  • Localized Impact: Build solutions designed specifically to tackle East African issues in agriculture, finance, and urban infrastructure.

  • Hands-on Tool Acceleration: Learn and apply tools in parallel technical tracks (AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud/Git).

  • Nano-Mentorship: Work side-by-side with experienced technologists who will unblock technical issues and refine your project narrative.

Challenge Tracks Overview

  • Track 1: AgriTech & Climate Resilience (Data Science & AI): Tackle smallholder farming challenges, unpredictable weather patterns, or crop diseases using predictive dashboards or lightweight TensorFlow models.

  • Track 2: FinTech & Financial Inclusion (Data Science & Cybersecurity): Combat mobile money fraud and social engineering using transaction anomaly detection or security verification tools.

  • Track 3: Smart Cities & Public Resource Allocation (Data Science): Optimize public service route planning or peak-hour traffic flow in Kigali using transit and geospatial datasets.

Requirements

What You Need to Build

Teams must create a functional software prototype, predictive model, or data analytics application aligned with one of the 3 hackathon tracks. Your project must actively incorporate tools and concepts covered during the event (such as TensorFlow, Data Science pipelines, Cybersecurity protocols, or Git version control).

What to Submit on Devpost

To complete your official project submission before the deadline (Sept 3rd, 2026, at 11:45 PM (CAT)), your team must submit the following items on Devpost:

  1. Project Title & Summary: A concise overview of your solution, the African challenge addressed, and how it works.

  2. GitHub Repository URL: A link to a public GitHub repository containing all working source code, data scripts, and commit history.

  3. Presentation Slide Deck: Upload your pitch deck in PDF or PPTX format.

  4. 45-Second Video Demo: A brief screen recording or video walkthrough illustrating the working features of your prototype.

📊 Judging Criteria (100 Points Total)

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of faculty and industry judges using the following rubric:

Criteria Max Points Evaluation Focus
1. Local Impact & Problem Alignment 20 Points

How well does the solution address the specific African challenge? Is the localized context understood and respected?
2. Technical Execution & Tool Use 35 Points

Did the team successfully integrate concepts from Friday's technical workshops (AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Git)? Is the logic sound?
3. MVP & Working Prototype 20 Points

Does the team have a functioning prototype, live data script, or verified GitHub repository with meaningful commits? (Strictly no "slide-only" submissions).
4. Innovation & Resourcefulness 15 Points

Is the solution creative? Did the team make effective use of the provided datasets and time constraints?
5. Pitch Quality & Time Management 10 Points

Was the team able to deliver a compelling narrative and demo within their strict pitch allocation?

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

1 non-cash prize
Hackathon Champion
1 winner

Official Certificate of Excellence: Signed IEEE Computer Society Winner Certificate.

1-on-1 VIP Mentorship: Exclusive coaching session with an IEEE Distinguished Technologist or industry leader.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Sharath Chandra Kampi

Sharath Chandra Kampi
Staff Enterprise Architect at Cockroach Labs and former AWS Solutions Architect

Adrian Aliu

Adrian Aliu
Co-founder and CPO of Proper Motion

Sachin Gurjar

Sachin Gurjar
AI researcher and the founder of quickcommercemap.com

Judging Criteria

  • Local Impact & Problem Alignment (20 Points)
    How well does the solution address the specific African challenge? Is the localized context (e.g., East African farming, Kigali urbanization) understood and respected?
  • Technical Execution & Tool Use (35 Points)
    Did the team successfully integrate the technical concepts from Friday's workshops (AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, or Git)? Is the underlying logic sound?
  • MVP & Working Prototype (20 Points)
    Does the team have a functioning prototype, live data script, or verified GitHub repository with meaningful commits? (Strictly no "slide-only" presentations).
  • Innovation & Resourcefulness (15 Points)
    Is the solution a creative approach to the problem? Did the team make clever use of the limited pre-cleaned datasets and time provided?
  • Pitch Quality & Time Management (10 Points)
    Was the team able to deliver a compelling narrative and live demo within their strict pitch allocation? Were they clear and structured?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Tell your friends

Hackathon sponsors

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.