A national tech challenge run by Talentbank, on a real brief: a better job platform. Teams build it in 21 days with any stack and AI tools, a panel from universities and industry reads the work, and employers see how people actually build. Free to enter, solo or in a team of up to four.
You get a real brief, a fixed window and a panel that includes people who hire. What you ship in 21 days says more than any line on a CV.
The brief is a product Talentbank is working towards.
Every team builds a job platform connecting employers and candidates across Asia. Stack and design are your call.
AI tools are welcome, and so are non-developers.
Open to anyone aged 18 and above in Asia Pacific. Judging looks at problem insight and how well you direct AI, not hand-typed code.
Finalists get access a CV alone does not.
The Top 10 finalists get a priority Talentbank interview and referrals to partner employers. A place does not guarantee a job offer.
Free to enter, with no fee at any stage. Your code stays yours unless you sign an agreement to say otherwise.
These are the Cohort 2 stages as published on techhackathon.com (opens in a new tab). Some details may still be refined.
Register on techhackathon.com, solo or with up to three others. Teams can mix universities and organisations.
Tell us about your team, your past work and what you plan to build. We reply within 7 days.
After a kickoff workshop, build a production-ready product with a live demo. Any stack, and declare your AI tools.
A panel reads every submission. The Top 10 finalists present at the Grand Finale, where the podium is named.
So you know what you are measured against before you start. Our engineers also review the code itself.
Would real candidates, employers or universities use it, and would it still make sense years from now?
Whether the architecture is coherent and could scale and fit alongside a wider career platform.
Whether it works end to end, is ready for production and comes with a live demo.
AI tools are expected. Were they chosen and directed well, and will the result hold up?
The published prize pool is up to RM 100,000: a cash podium of RM 10,000, RM 6,000 and RM 4,000, plus an adoption pool for work we may build on. Top 10 finalists also get a priority interview, employer referrals and a CEO-signed certificate.
Cohort 2 amounts may still change. Adoption is optional, and full terms are on techhackathon.com (opens in a new tab). The 2026 podium went to GongBaiWan, Notts-Hackers and J2CH.
Co-sponsor the Tech Hackathon, or have us run a hackathon on a technical problem of your own through Business Challenge. Either way, you see how people reason and ship before you hire.
We will come back with a format and a quotation. Prefer a case competition? See the Boardroom Challenge.
Amira answers the basics: who can enter, what the brief is, how to register. Anything she cannot answer, she passes to a person.