Hacksummer 2026: Democratize Artificial Intelligence and build the future!
Hackestiu 2026 is a summer programming competition organized by the CHIP Chair of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia with the collaboration of Qualcomm .
The challenge is to use the technology of an Arduino Uno Q —supplied by Qualcomm— to create a project that contributes to democratizing the use of Artificial Intelligence, making it more accessible, more useful and closer to people.
The theme is free. The creativity is yours.
Calendar
| Phase | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Quickstart Webinar | June 30th in the afternoon (link to be determined) |
| Sending proposals | Until Sunday, July 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM |
| Communication of accepted equipment | Friday, July 10, 2026 |
| Project delivery | Monday, September 14, 2026 |
| Selection of finalists | Friday, September 18, 2026 |
| Final presentation, voting and award ceremony | Wednesday, September 23, 2026 |
How to participate
- Form a team: Each team must be made up of between 2 and 4 UPC degree students. See the rules for details.
- Submit your proposal: Fill out the application form with the following information, by Sunday, July 5, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.:
- Team composition
- Description of the project you want to develop.
- Additional hardware you need (in addition to the Arduino Uno Q)
- Wait for confirmation: The organizers will review all proposals received and select up to 20 participating teams. You will receive confirmation by email.
- Develop the project: Once accepted, you will be given the materials and you will have the entire summer to build your project with the support of Qualcomm, Arduino and Edge Impulse.
- Publish your project: Upload your project to the Arduino Project Hub and send its URL to the organizers by Monday, September 14, 2026. Once submitted, you will not be able to modify the repository . Make sure everything is ready!
- Present your project: A jury will select the 5 best projects, which will have to make a 10-minute public presentation on Wednesday, September 23rd in the UPC Master’s Classroom. Another jury will vote and decide the champion project. The two juries will include representatives of the UPC faculty and students and Qualcomm engineers.
Participation rules and requirements
Equipment
- Each team must be made up of between 2 and 4 students enrolled in a degree at the UPC in the 2025–2026 academic year.
- Priority will be given to choosing teams with students from more than one degree.
Arduino Project Hub repository
The repository must be public and must include:
- The complete source code of the project (and also of any other artifacts necessary for it such as 3d prints or designed PCBs).
- A presentation video between 4 and 5 minutes long that describes the project (motivation, solution, demonstration).
- A file
README.mdclear and complete with the names and affiliations of all project members. - Sufficient documentation to understand and reproduce the project.
In order to provide maximum visibility to the project, the video and project documentation must be in English.
Code of conduct
Hackestiu is a space for collaboration, learning and mutual respect. All participants commit to:
- Act with integrity. The code, ideas and contents of the project must be the work of the team. The use of external libraries, models or resources is welcome as long as they are properly attributed to the repository.
- Respect people. Respectful treatment is required between participants, organizers, Qualcom staff and jury, both in the competition’s communication channels and in-person events.
- Use the hardware responsibly .
- Accept the decisions of the jury and the organizers.
Hardware
Among other things, Qualcomm will provide each accepted team with:
- An Arduino Uno Q
- Compatible cameras
- Modulino sensors : temperature, humidity, movement, presence, light, …
If your project requires additional hardware, please specify this in your initial proposal. The organizers and Qualcomm will assess the feasibility and try to accommodate each request.
Support and resources
Qualcomm will accompany you throughout the process. As a participant, you will have access to:
- Quickstart Webinar (even before selection)
- Qualcomm Mentors
- Technical documentation for the Arduino Uno Q and its accessories
- Seminars and training sessions
- Video conferences with Qualcomm experts
- Qualcomm Ambassador Program
- Direct communication channel with the organizers
Prices
- €3000 for the winning team
- €1000 for the second team
- €500 for the third team
This amount will be divided by the number of students in each group. In addition, all teams that submit their project will be able to keep the material received to participate.
Evaluation
A panel of specialized judges will evaluate all submitted projects according to criteria such as learning achieved, innovation, technical quality, social impact and contribution to the democratization of AI.
Organizers and contact
- Jordi Petit (email: jordi.petit-silvestre@upc.edu)
- Jordi Cortadella (email: jordi.cortadella@upc.edu)
Hackestiu 2026 is an initiative of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and Qualcomm, promoted by the CHIP UPC Chair.
The CHIP UPC Chair (project TSI-069100-2023-0015) is funded by the Secretariat of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures of the Government of Spain and by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
