CoU Technova 2026 · Faculty of Engineering
BUILD THE FUTURE. IN FIVE HOURS.
CoU AI Hackathon 2026 brings student builders to Comilla University for one focused sprint: an idea, a team of up to three, three days of pre-build and a five-hour on-site final to make it real.
- 24 November 2026
- Comilla University, Cumilla, Bangladesh
- BDT 25,000 prize pool
Hackathon starts in
3d + 5h
pre-build, then the on-site final
25,000 BDT
total prize pool
30 teams
selected for the on-site round
1–3 people
per team, any university
About the hackathon
Not just a few days of coding. A few days in which an idea gets the chance to become real.
CoU AI Hackathon 2026 is an on-site competition hosted by the Faculty of Engineering at Comilla University. It is the flagship event of CoU Technova 2026, the university's AI and technology carnival.
It runs in two phases. First, every team submits an idea, free of charge. Reviewers score each one, and the strongest 30 are invited to campus to build it.
Ship something real
Three days to build after the shortlist, then a five-hour on-site final to finish and present. You leave with a project, not a slide.
Be judged on the idea first
Phase 1 is free. Every team is scored on the strength of its idea before anyone pays anything.
Build with people from anywhere
Teams can mix universities. Bring a friend from another campus, or come alone.
Compete for BDT 25,000
Three prizes, one stage, and an audience of faculty, sponsors and fellow builders.
Learn from mentors
Mentors circulate during the build. Use them to unblock a model, a dataset or a pitch.
Start something that continues
The best hackathon projects become final-year theses, startups and open-source tools.
Registration timeline
Four dates to remember
All times are Bangladesh Standard Time. Each window closes at 11:59 pm on its last day.
- 12 Nov – 18 NovNow
Phase 1: Pre-registration
Register your team and submit your idea. Free.
Step 1 of 4
- 19–20 November
Evaluation and shortlist
Reviewers score every idea. The top 30 teams are announced by email.
Step 2 of 4
- 21 Nov – 23 Nov
Phase 2: Pre-build and payment
Shortlisted teams start building their project and pay BDT 1,350 per team to confirm.
Step 3 of 4
- 24 Nov
Final day
A five-hour on-site final. Finish, present, win.
Step 4 of 4
Problem domains
Pick a problem worth solving
Choose a domain, or argue for your own. What matters is a real problem and a sound use of AI.
- 01
Healthcare & Wellbeing
AI that helps people get diagnosed earlier, treated better or cared for more easily.
- 02
Education & Learning
Tools that personalise learning, support teachers or widen access to knowledge.
- 03
Agriculture & Food
Smarter farming, crop health, supply chains and food security.
- 04
Climate & Environment
Disaster readiness, energy, pollution and sustainable cities.
- 05
Finance & Inclusion
Safer payments, fairer credit and services for people the system leaves out.
- 06
Open Innovation
A problem you care about that does not fit a box. Make the case for it.
Prizes
BDT 25,000 on the table
Three teams leave with a prize. Every team leaves with something built.
Champion
10,000
BDT
First Runner-up
8,000
BDT
Second Runner-up
7,000
BDT
Team formation
Come alone or bring two friends
Teams of one, two or three. Members can come from different universities. If shortlisted, the fee is BDT 1,350 for the whole team.
1
Solo
Confident on your own? Register alone and own every decision.
2
Duo
One builds the model, one builds the product. A classic split.
3
Trio
The maximum. Enough hands for model, product and pitch.
Hackathon day
How the day runs
Tuesday 24 November at Comilla University, Cumilla, Bangladesh.
Time to be announced
Registration and check-in
Collect your team pass and T-shirts. Bring your student ID card.
Time to be announced
Opening ceremony
Welcome from the Faculty of Engineering and the sponsors.
Time to be announced
Final briefing
Rules, judging criteria and how the five-hour final will run.
Time to be announced
Final build starts
The clock begins. Five hours to finish your project.
Time to be announced
Development and mentoring
Mentors move between teams. Ask early.
Rules
The rules, in brief
Eligibility and teams
- The hackathon is open to current university students. Every participant must hold a valid student ID.
- You may take part alone or in a team of two or three. Three is the maximum.
- Team members may come from different universities.
Phase 1: idea submission
- Phase 1 is free. Submit your team details, each member's student ID card image and your idea document (PDF or DOCX).
- Ideas are scored out of 100: problem relevance 20, innovation 25, AI application 25, feasibility 15, potential impact 15.
- The top 30 teams are shortlisted for the on-site round. Results are sent by email to every team member.
Phase 2: pre-build and confirmation (21 – 23 November)
- Once the shortlist is published, selected teams may start building their project. 21 – 23 November is the pre-build period.
- Project code may be written only from 21 November. Before that, only research, planning, design and dataset preparation are allowed.
- Shortlisted teams confirm their place by paying the team fee through bKash or Nagad Send Money and submitting the transaction ID on this website.
Final day (24 November)
- The on-site final lasts five hours: finish the project you started in the pre-build, submit it and present it to the judges.
- Your solution must make meaningful use of artificial intelligence.
- You may use open-source libraries, public datasets, pretrained models and AI coding assistants. Credit what you use.
FAQ
Questions, answered
The short version. The full list is on the FAQ page.
Who can take part?
Any current university student with a valid student ID. Teams can mix universities.
How big can a team be?
One, two or three people. You can take part alone.
Does it cost anything to register?
Phase 1 is free. Only the 30 shortlisted teams pay, and the fee is BDT 1,350 per team, not per person.
What do I need to register?
For every member: name, email, phone and WhatsApp numbers, university, student ID, T-shirt size and a photo of the student ID card. For the team: an idea title, short written answers and one idea document in PDF or DOCX.
How are teams selected?
Reviewers score each idea out of 100 on problem relevance, innovation, AI application, feasibility and potential impact. The top 30 are shortlisted.
When will I hear back?
Selection results are emailed to every team member on 19–20 November 2026. You can also check your status on this website.
Helpline
Questions? Call or WhatsApp us
Our volunteers can help with registration, payment and anything about the event day. Please mention your registration ID if you have one.
Your idea could change tomorrow
Build beyond imagination.
Phase 1 is free and takes about ten minutes. All you need is a team, a student ID and an idea worth building.