IBM Z × UNSA Sheridan Hackathon 2026

The IBM Z × UNSA Sheridan Hackathon is a 3-day global innovation challenge bringing together students, developers, and innovators to build AI-powered solutions addressing real-world global challenges aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

This hackathon is a collaboration between IBM Z Sheridan and the United Nations Student Association (UNSA) Sheridan, designed to empower students to explore enterprise computing, artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, and socially impactful innovation.

🚀 Don’t miss out - applications are now open!

We’re bringing together some incredible talent for the IBM Z × UNSA Hackathon (May 8–11), and the momentum is building fast.

We already have multiple leaders from IBM confirmed as judges, and I’m excited to share that we’ve recently confirmed a judge from MIT currently working at JetBlue Airways ✈️—bringing a unique blend of academic excellence and real-world industry innovation.

This is a huge opportunity to:
✨ Build impactful AI solutions
✨ Get your work in front of top industry leaders
✨ Network with mentors from leading tech organizations

⚡ Apply early, spots are limited and reviewed on a rolling basis!
📝 https://lnkd.in/e7Y7SJ4R

If you’re passionate about AI, innovation, and real-world impact, this is your moment.

More Info:

Participants will work in teams to design and build innovative solutions that tackle problems such as:

• Climate resilience and disaster preparedness
• Healthcare accessibility
• Financial inclusion
• Sustainable cities and infrastructure
• Education technology
• Digital equity and global connectivity

Hackers will gain experience working with modern AI tools, enterprise technologies, and cloud platforms, while learning from mentors, industry professionals, and student leaders.

Why Participate?

• Build real-world AI solutions
• Learn enterprise technologies including IBM Z and cloud infrastructure
• Work with mentors from industry and academia
• Collaborate with students from different disciplines
• Showcase your project to judges and industry experts
• Win prizes and recognition

Hackathon Format

This hackathon will be hosted virtually, allowing students from around the world to participate.

Day 1 – Opening & Team Formation
• Opening ceremony
• Sponsor talks and workshops
• Team formation and ideation

Day 2 – Build & Mentorship
• Hacking continues
• Mentorship sessions
• Technical workshops

Day 3 – Final Presentations
• Project submission deadline
• Final demo presentations
• Judging and awards ceremony

Requirements

Submission Requirements

Participants must submit their project on Devpost before the submission deadline.

Each submission must include:

Required

• Project name and description
• Problem statement and solution explanation
• GitHub repository or source code
• Screenshots or demo of the project
• A 2–3 minute demo video explaining the project

Optional but Recommended

• Architecture diagram
• Slide deck or presentation
• Documentation explaining the technology stack

Projects will be judged based on:

• Innovation
• Technical complexity
• Impact aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Quality of implementation
• Presentation and demo

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

5 non-cash prizes

$250 Youth Culture Sponsor Prize | Sponsored by Youth Culture Inc | 1st Place Prize

1 winner

This prize is sponsored by Youth Culture Inc. and will be awarded to the top winning team of the IBM Z x UNSA AI Hackathon.

The $250 cash prize will be granted to the 1st place team in recognition of innovation, technical excellence, and impact.

Coffee Chat with IBM Leader - Lucas Sahn - IBM Z Skills Program Manager - NA Skills Leader

3 winners

Each winning team (Top 3) will receive an opportunity to participate in a virtual coffee chat with an IBM industry leader or professional. During this session, winners will have the chance to: • Learn about careers in AI, cloud, and enterprise technology • Ask questions about working at IBM and the technology industry • Receive career guidance and professional insights • Network with an experienced IBM professional Winners will also receive official hackathon recognition and digital certificates from the IBM Z × UNSA Sheridan Hackathon.

Coffee Chat with IBM Leader - Ashar Azmat - Senior Technical Consultant at IBM | TPO | Adobe & MarTech

3 winners

Each winning team (Top 3) will receive an opportunity to participate in a virtual coffee chat with an IBM industry leader or professional. During this session, winners will have the chance to:

• Learn about careers in AI, cloud, and enterprise technology
• Ask questions about working at IBM and the technology industry
• Receive career guidance and professional insights
• Network with an experienced IBM professional

Winners will also receive official hackathon recognition and digital certificates from the IBM Z × UNSA Sheridan Hackathon.

Coffee Chat with Asma Ahmed (IBM Z Sheridan President and Founder of UNSA Sheridan)

10 winners

Prize Breakdown

Winning teams will receive the opportunity to join a virtual coffee chat with Asma Ahmed, IBM Z Sheridan President and Founder of UNSA Sheridan.

During this session, participants will be able to:

• Discuss careers in technology, AI, and enterprise computing
• Learn about leadership, hackathons, and building student tech communities
• Receive guidance on career development, internships, and industry opportunities
• Network and ask questions about emerging technologies and innovation

Winners will also receive official recognition from the IBM Z × UNSA Sheridan Hackathon.

Top 10 Teams

10 winners

Top 10 Teams: The top ten teams will be invited to pitch to the judges. Following this, the top three teams will be selected and awarded prizes and recognition. The top ten teams will conduct virtual pitches to the judges on May 10, following the initial round.

Top 10 Winners will also receive official hackathon recognition and digital certificates from the IBM Z × UNSA Sheridan Hackathon.

Judges

Asma Ahmed
GIS Assistant @ Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Public Service OPS (Ontario Government) | IBM Z Student Ambassador | Computer Science (HBSc) – Cloud Computing @ Sheridan College | President @ IBM Z Sheridan & UNSA | Founder @ LegalAssist

Kim Cooper
President & CEO @ Youth Culture Inc | Director of Communications @ Space Canada, focused on youth innovation and impact

Anuj Jaitly
Partner, Hybrid Cloud & Data Transformation at IBM

Lucas Sahn
IBM Z Skills Program Manager - NA Skills Leader IBM · University of Miami

Jacky (Shengye) C
MLE @ Reddit | MDSAI @ UWaterloo Reddit, Inc. · University of Waterloo

Tanaya Amar
Analytics & Business Intelligence leader driving data-informed decisions • Ex- eHealth/ Invisalign/ CVS Health/ eBay/ Accenture • Healthcare • Sales • Marketing • Product • Duke MEM ’18 • eHealth, Inc. · Duke University

Sunil Mishra
Lead Architect @ IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z | Prev Senior Software Engineer @ IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z - IBM Software

Andrea Zanon
Data Science Manager @ JetBlue | MIT JetBlue · Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Saumya Ahuja
AI @ IBM | Ex-Product Manager | Ex-Microsoft IBM · National University of Singapore

Harry Katumba
UNSA Sheridan President - Python Developer | Linux Power User | MySQL & Database Systems | Robotics Enthusiast | Tech Community Leader

Musaddiq Ali
Orion Innovation UK & IBM Z Student Ambassador

Gulsher Cheema
Former VP of IBM Z Sheridan & Former IBM Z Student Ambassador

Taj Sarin
Global AI Speaker & Educator | Tranquilla AI

Parth Rana
AVP Quantitative Risk at State Street | Ex-Goldman Sachs | Vedanta | Startups

AlaaAldin (Aladdin) AlRadhi
Professor @ Sheridan / Humber College: Cyber Security, IPV6 Hall of fame Winner, AWS/Azure Clouds, AI, Quantum Computing; AI Educator; Trainer, Public Speaker, Mentor, Teacher at Heart, & Learner/Researcher for Life

Ashmitha Nagraj
Principal Software Engineer at Fidelity Investments Durham, North Carolina, United States

Seshini Mahabir
McMaster University | HBSc. Biochemistry Graduate | Student Nurse | Interested in Nursing Leadership & Evidence-Based Practice

Surmeet Singh
Ethical Hacker | Cybersecurity & Wireless Researcher. Chairperson Hack Defence Summit (HDS) Founder of Sohang Education & Cyber Panacea | Speaker, Risk Advisory, (SS7, C7, SDR, BTS, USRP) Wireless Security Researcher

Ahmed Chaudhry
Incoming Security Intern @ EY | Prev @ CrowdStrike, Glentel | SFU

Ansab Butt
NexaByte - Co-Founder | Bridging Synopsis & AGI | MS Computational Neuroscience 2027’

Ryan Ning
Incoming Software Engineering Intern @ Uber, Amazon | Prev @ Shopify | 8x Hackathon Winner | CS & AI Research @ UofT

Simerus Mahesh
Site Reliability Engineer @ Google (Gemini infra), former Meta Production Engineer, Founding Engineer at an AI lab (a37), and Venture Scout at Soma Capital focused on scaling AI systems and startups

David Lao, CPA
Financial Transformation and Procurement Modernization at Government of Canada @ Government of Canada | Senior Advisor, Financial Transformation & AI Deployment | CFE National Honour Roll | Former CFE Marker

Manav Jain
MD Student @ UofT with experience in clinical research, epigenomics, and AI-driven healthcare. Skilled in data analysis, ML for biomedical applications, and digital health tools | Research Student (SickKids), TA, Biomedical Innovation Researcher

Affan Ahmed
Computer Engineering Student @ University of Guelph | Data Analytics & BI (Python, Power BI) | Former Data Analyst @ Bombardier | VP Events, Islamic Relief Guelph

Marcus Caiado
Tech Recruiter @ Google | Former Tech Recruiter @ Randstad Enterprise & Foundever

Riaz Abdullah
Enterprise IT Operations Manager @ Pacific Gad & Electric | Ex - World Bank Information Officer

Declan Kene Chukwu
SWE Intern @ Apple  | Prev. ML SWE Intern @ Arm | Google BGN IE Hackathon 2025 Participant | Stage 3 Computer Science Student @ UCD

Zaara Subedar
Aspiring CPA, Social Impact & Sustainability Award winner, and incoming @ OTAA President | Expertise in leadership, community impact, and SDG-aligned innovation

Surya Rao Rayarao
AI and Full Stack Technical Lead @ SS&C Technologies with 20+ years of experience building scalable cloud and enterprise systems | Passionate about applying machine learning to real-world impact

Marcus Sanatan
Co-founder & Co-CTO @ Coplay | Former Staff Engineer @ REMIO | BSc AI & Computer Science, University of Edinburgh

Aliza Adil
Business Program Manager Intern @ Microsoft | Statistics Specialist & CS Student @ UofT | National Top 10 Horatio Alger Scholar

Alvina Yang
Incoming SWE @ Rippling, MLE @ Shopify, prev @ Amazon, Seismic, QNX | CS @ UofT

Mahzabin Rashid Fariha
Software Developer @ Wealthsimple

Ismail Pathan
Senior Consultant @ Oracle | NetSuite Certified Professional | MBA Candidate

Elizabeth Fabbroni
Dean of Applied Science & Technology @ Sheridan College, driving innovation in AI, engineering, and student success with a strong industry and academic leadership background.

Bisha Fatima
2× SWE Intern @ Google and VP @ Ontario Tech CS Club | Building impactful solutions in AI and data science while leading large-scale student tech initiatives

Sujithra Periasamy
Senior Software Engineer @ Google | Prev. @ Cisco, RIFT.io, Starent Networks | Specializing in distributed systems, networking, and scalable cloud infrastructure

Rajpreet Gill
Software Engineer @ IBM | UofC Software & Biomedical Engineering Graduate '24 | Google Generations Scholar '23 | Seymour Schulich Scholar '19

Cyrus Hira
Sr. Partner Technical Specialist @ IBM, driving secure and trustworthy AI at enterprise scale. Former @ Deel and Densify, supporting startups to Fortune 500 companies

Goutami Padmanabhan
Software Engineer @ Microsoft | Prev. SWE @ Goldman Sachs & TCS | Cloud Infrastructure & Distributed Systems | M.S. Computer Science @ UT Arlington

Harpreet Singh (Harpreet Chhatwal) Chhatwal
Global Business Development & Success Manager @ IBM Z & LinuxONE Ecosystem, driving enterprise innovation, strategic partnerships, and scalable AI and cloud solutions @ IBM.

Ratna Kumar Bonagiri
Staff Software Engineer @ Macy’s Systems & Technology, with 10+ years of experience in cloud architecture, enterprise systems, and high-pressure production operations

Ankur Bhatnagar
Staff Software Engineer @ Macy's Systems & Technology

Ali A. Nazari
Postdoctoral Research Fellow @SickKids | Medical Robotics • Teleoperation • Continuum & Soft Robotics • Computer Vision • Control Systems

Ameera Al-Karkhi, Ph.D.,P.Eng
Professor and Senior Researcher @ Sheridan, Faculty of Applied Science & Technology

Jun Bin Cheng
SDE @ H.H. Angus | Prev. NLP Research @ UofT, OTU, L³ | 4th Year Software Engineering Student

Valentin Lemaire
AI Lead @ ClimateWorks Foundation | International Partnerships Manager @ CLIMACT | Prince Albert Fund Laureate | Advancing global climate action through AI, data-driven decarbonization, and strategic partnerships

Ram Nethi
Senior Solutions Architect @ AWS | Leading AI, cloud, and cybersecurity-driven transformation | Expert in scalable architectures | Industry Judge & Speaker

Sai Joshitha Kathari
Senior Site Reliability Engineer @ Visa | AI/ML Platforms & Distributed Systems | Cloud & DevOps (AWS, Kubernetes, CI/CD) | Hackathon Judge & Mentor

Vaibhav Jain
Software Engineer @ Google | Prev. SWE @ Cisco | Purdue CS | Distributed Systems, Backend & Scalable Infrastructure | Hackathon Winner & Industry Speaker

Hisham Juneidi
CTO & co-founder @ The EdgeNode LLC

Nawaf Raheem
Vice President @ IBM Z Sheridan | Blockchain & Distributed Systems Engineer | C++ · Go · AWS | Hackathon Judge

William Gao
Mathematics (BA) & Statistics (MA) @ Harvard | Ex-Optiver Trader | Ex-SIG & Goldman Sachs | Quantitative Trading, Market Microstructure & High-Performance Systems | Hackathon Judge

Lovleen Kaur
Software Engineer III @ Cisco | Ex-Amazon | MS Data Science @ University at Buffalo | AI/ML, Multi-Agent Systems & Scalable Cloud Infrastructure | Hackathon Judge

Ankush Rastogi
Senior Data Solutions Engineer @ Vail Systems | 10+ Years in Data Engineering & AI | Enterprise LLM & AI Evaluation Systems | Real-Time Data Pipelines & Scalable ML Systems | Hackathon Judge

Piyush Gupta
Senior Software Engineer @ Meta (ex-Google, Microsoft) specializing in large-scale distributed systems and building high-impact platforms at scale.

Swastik Ghosh
Firmware Engineer @ Lenovo | Ex-NVIDIA | Ex-Qualcomm | MS CE Graduate Student at North Carolina State University | Ex-Honeywell

Prakshal Doshi
SDE @ Apple | Prev. DevOps @ Autodesk, JPMorgan Chase | Cloud & AI

Suresh Venkat Recharla
Director of Software Development @ Oracle | Cloud & Agentic AI | Enterprise Systems Modernization | Oracle CLM Expert

Sudhakavya B V
DevOps Engineer @ Starkey Hearing | 5+ yrs in Multi-Cloud, IaC & CI/CD (Terraform, Docker, Jenkins) | Enabling scalable healthcare systems | Hackathon Judge

Seenu Suvarna
Success Manager @ IBM, Technical Lead for IBM Z Startups + AI, enabling startups to scale secure enterprise solutions on LinuxONE and IBM Z.

Krishna Lad
Software Developer @ Environment and Climate Change Canada | Prev Software Engineer @ The Hospital for Sick Children | Teaching Assistant @ University of Toronto Mississauga | Passionate about AI, cloud, and real-world impact

Hinna Zeejah
Prev Software Engineer Intern @ Rivian | Visiting Scholar @ Northwell Health | AI/ML Fellow @ Cornell University

Zain Mustafa
SWE Intern @ Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) | Research Assistant @ UofT | Computer Science and Statistics @ UofT

Urvi Bhanushali
Software Engineer @ Meta | MS CS @ UIUC

Ansh Bilimoria
Software Engineer @ Meta | MCS @ UIUC

Dimple Bajaj
Senior Supervisor, Software Quality Engineering @ Intuitive | QA Strategy, Automation & Regulatory Systems

Advitya Gemawat
ML Engineer @ Microsoft | AI Systems, LLMs & Responsible AI | “25 Under 25” Data Science Leader

Raju (Raja) Chowdhury
Senior Software Engineer @ Microsoft

Smit Kadvani
LLM Inference @ Meta Superintelligence Lab | GenAI PyTorch Accelerator Enablement @ Meta

Kriti Faujdar
Senior Product Manager, Security AI Research @ Microsoft | Generative AI | Ex-ISRO

Chirag Pandey
Software Engineer @ AWS | MS CS @ USC

Aniruddha Singh Gautam
Senior Software Engineer @ Microsoft

Shreya Gore
Software Engineer @ Google | Prev Analyst Software Engineer @ Goldman Sachs

Nutan Sahoo
Applied Scientist II @ Microsoft (prev Applied Scientist @ Microsoft), with prior experience @ Meta and research @ Harvard University. Specializes in AI, Machine Learning, RAG systems, and LLM-powered applications

Silu Panda
Sr. Software Engineer - ML Infra @ Linkedin

Praveenkumar Kondikoppa
Software Engineer @ Google

Nikhil Singh
Data Science @ Amazon Ads

Karthik Karunanithi
Solution Architect @ IBM

Panagiotis (Peter) Coutoulas
Product Leader (AI) @ ASAPP | Stanford MBA | 1x Founder | Ex McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse

Ecem Guvener
HackEurope 2026, ETH Oxford Hackathon | Ex System Analyst @ OBC | Amazon SWE DA Offer | Y1 Cs student at The University of Manchester + UoM Scholar | National-level basketball player

Herleen Devgan
Senior Business Analyst | MPBSDP | Ontario Public Service OPS

Judging Criteria

Innovation
How original and creative is the idea? Does the project present a new or unique approach to solving a real-world problem?
Technical Implementation
Quality of the technical solution, including code quality, architecture, and use of technologies such as AI, APIs, cloud services, or enterprise tools.
Impact
How easy is the solution to understand and use? This includes user experience, interface design, and accessibility.
Presentation
How clearly the team explains their project, including the demo video, project description, and overall storytelling.
Market Potential & Scalability
How likely is the project to evolve into a real product, startup, or widely adopted solution? Judges will evaluate whether the idea could realistically scale, attract users, or be adopted by companies, organizations, or markets in the future.
Use of IBM Technologies
How effectively does the project use IBM technologies such as IBM Cloud, watsonx.ai, IBM Z, APIs, or IBM developer tools? Judges will evaluate how these technologies contribute to the functionality, scalability, or impact of the solution.
Use of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Projects must align with at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Teams should clearly identify the SDG their project addresses and explain how their solution creates real-world impact in their Devpost submission.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Hackathon sponsors

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