FAQs

For most teams, yes – within limits. If you are applying to one of the five prescribed challenge themes, you are strongly encouraged to identify your own specific problem or opportunity within that theme and develop an original solution.

• The strongest entries take a genuinely fresh approach rather than addressing the challenge in its most obvious form. 

If you want to define your own challenge entirely, the open challenge track may be right for you.

• The open challenge allows teams to identify a problem of their own choosing, provided it is explicitly anchored in a priority from either the Hong Kong or Macau 2025 Policy Address that is not already covered by the five prescribed challenges.
• The open challenge is available to both secondary school teams and university teams, and is capped at five teams per track. Full details are in the open challenge brief,  available on registration.

Whichever route you take, your proposal must clearly connect to a real policy priority in Hong Kong or Macau and demonstrate genuine cross-disciplinary thinking. 

We welcome participants into one of two tracks: 

• Imperial Hackathon Hong Kong and Macau for high schools is open to students currently in grades 10, 11, or 12 at a secondary school in Hong Kong or Macau. Students from both local and international schools are welcome.
• Imperial Hackathon Hong Kong and Macau for university students and early career professionals is open to:
  • current undergraduate or postgraduate students enrolled at a university in Hong Kong or Macau 
  • graduates who have completed a degree at a university in Hong Kong or Macau within the last three years 
  • early career professionals based in Hong Kong or Macau with up to three years of professional work experience 

All teams in both tracks must also span at least three of the four STEMB disciplines — science, technology, engineering, medicine, and business. 

Yes, returning participants are welcome to apply. 

If you participated in a previous edition of the Imperial Hackathon as a secondary school student and are now at university or in early career employment, you are welcome to apply to the university and early career professionals track. Previous participation in the secondary school track does not affect your eligibility for the university track. 

Previous participation – including previous wins – does not give any advantage or disadvantage in the selection process. All submissions are assessed on their merits. 

No single participant needs to have all the skills required – the hackathon is designed to be tackled by teams, not individuals. What matters most is curiosity, a genuine willingness to engage with a real-world problem, and the ability to collaborate across different disciplines. 

For the secondary school track, no specific technical background is required. The strongest teams combine a range of strengths – research and analytical thinking, creative problem-solving, communication, design, technical knowledge, and business awareness. If your team spans these areas, you are well placed to compete. 

For the university and early career professionals track, a higher level of methodological rigour is expected. Teams are asked to engage with peer-reviewed evidence, apply discipline-specific analytical frameworks, and develop solutions with a credible pathway to real-world implementation. You do not need expertise across all of these areas individually – but your team collectively should be able to engage seriously with the scientific, technical, health, and commercial dimensions of your chosen challenge. 

If you are considering the open challenge, one additional skill is particularly important: the ability to read a policy document carefully, identify a genuine gap, and make a clear and evidence-based case for why it matters. This is a research skill in its own right, and it is one of the things the open challenge is explicitly designed to develop. 

Yes. We encourage you to register even if you haven't found a team yet, as this will give you access to this year's challenge briefs and key competition information.

However, please note that finding and forming your own team is your responsibility. We are not able to facilitate team matching or connect individual participants with potential teammates. You will need to form or join a team independently before the submission deadline of 25 October 2026, as individual entries are not permitted. 

We recommend starting your search as early as possible. Good places to start include your school or university's student networks, departmental societies, social media, and the Imperial Hackathon channels where other prospective participants may also be looking.

You can submit your team's entry from 25 September 2026.

The deadline for all submissions is 23.59 (11.59pm) HKT/MST on 25 October 2026.

Late entries cannot be accepted for either track. We strongly recommend submitting well before the deadline, to avoid any last-minute technical difficulties. 

Your team should have four or five members. 

For the high school track, a maximum of three teams can apply from one secondary school. 

For the university and early career professionals track: no maximum applies to prescribed challenge teams and open challenge teams combined. 

Early career professionals who are not currently affiliated with a university are not subject to an institutional cap and may apply independently of any university team limit.

If you are unsure whether your school or university has already reached its team limit, contact us at imperialhackathon@imperial.ac.uk before submitting.

We encourage you to form a team with classmates, fellow students, or colleagues wherever possible.

However, finding and forming your team is entirely your responsibility – we are not able to facilitate team matching or connect individual participants with potential teammates. 

Some suggestions for finding teammates independently: 

• Secondary school students: speak to your teacher, careers adviser, or school counsellor, who may be able to help connect you with other students at your school who are interested in taking part. You can also reach out through your school's student networks or social media. 
• University students and early career professionals: your university's student association, departmental networks, or postgraduate society are good starting points. The Imperial Hackathon social media channels are also a useful place to signal that you are looking for teammates. 

If you are unable to form a compliant team before the submission deadline, unfortunately you will not be able to enter the competition that year. We encourage you to start early to avoid this situation. 

Yes, you can change your team members up to the team submission deadline of 23.59 (11.59pm) (HKT/MST) on Saturday 25 October 2026.

Email us at imperialhackathon@imperial.ac.uk about changes to your team.

Your team can still take part as long as it meets the minimum requirement of four members.

Email us at imperialhackathon@imperial.ac.uk about changes to your team.

You can submit your team's initial pitch through the team submission form from 25 September 2026 until 23:59 (HKT/MST) on 25 October 2026.

Your submission should include:

• A 150-word written proposal outlining your idea
• A 3-5 minute video pitch explaining your solution 

Be sure to submit before the deadline, as late entries cannot be accepted.

You must register in advance to receive a link to the team submission form.

If your team is selected as an Imperial Hackathon finalist, you will be required to deliver your final pitch in person at the Grand Final event in Hong Kong.

Unfortunately, remote participation is not available for finalist presentations, so all team members taking part in the final pitch must be able to attend the event in person.

Your pitch and presentations should be delivered in English.

The Hackathon Grand Final  will take place on Saturday 14 November 2026 at the Data Technology Hub, Tseung Kwan O InnoPark, HKSTP.

Yes. A registration form will be available shortly which you can use to request your free ticket.

Yes. Each team member competing in the Grand Final may register up to two free guest tickets – this means a team of five can bring up to ten guests in total. 

Guest tickets must be registered in advance through the guest registration link, which will be shared with all confirmed finalists. Tickets are subject to availability and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend registering your guests as soon as you receive your finalist confirmation. 

Please note that the Grand Final runs on the same day for the secondary school track and the university and early career professionals track. Your guest tickets will be valid for your team's session. Full schedule details will be shared with all finalists in advance. 

Guests travelling from Macau to Hong Kong for the Grand Final should plan their journey in advance. No visa is required for Macau permanent residents entering Hong Kong. The venue at Tseung Kwan O InnoPark is accessible by public transport from the cross-border ferry terminals and the MTR. 

All finalists will be provided with an official Imperial Hackathon T-shirt to wear during the Grand Final.

We recommend pairing this with comfortable, smart-casual clothing and footwear, ensuring you're both professional and comfortable throughout the event.

Yes. The venue has Wi-Fi and our team can provide on-site technical support.

Refreshments will be available for finalists and their guests.

Your pitch will be evaluated on its creativity, innovation and feasibility, as well as its potential impact, interdisciplinarity and how you’ve worked as a team. 

Register to receive full details of the judging criteria for this year.

The Hackathon judges include Imperial academics, external industry experts and members of Imperial’s Student Recruitment team.

Learn more about this year's panel of judges.

The top three finalist teams from each competition will receive a range of prizes. There are also a number of specialist awards on offer.

Check the event page for the high school track or the university and early career professionals track for details.

All teams that reach the grand final will receive a certificate of participation.

No. You must arrange your own accommodation, but we can provide a list of nearby hotels and hostels.

No. You’ll need to cover your own costs for travel, including flights, visas and accommodation.