Applications are now open for Hackestiu 2026, a summer programming competition organised by the UPC CHIP Chair in collaboration with Qualcomm, inviting UPC undergraduate students to develop innovative projects based on artificial intelligence.
The goal of this year's competition is to democratise artificial intelligence, making it more accessible, useful and closer to people's everyday lives. Each selected team will receive an Arduino Uno Q, provided by Qualcomm, together with compatible sensors and technical resources to develop their project.
Teams must consist of 2 to 4 undergraduate students enrolled at UPC during the 2025–2026 academic year. Teams composed of students from different degree programmes will be given priority.
Key dates
30 June 2026: Quickstart Webinar.
Until 5 July 2026 (11:59 p.m.): Proposal submission deadline.
10 July 2026: Selected teams announced.
14 September 2026: Project submission deadline.
18 September 2026: Finalists announced.
23 September 2026: Final presentations, jury deliberation and awards ceremony.
How to participate
Teams must submit:
Team members.
A description of the proposed project.
Any additional hardware required beyond the Arduino Uno Q.
Selected teams will have the entire summer to develop their projects with support from Qualcomm, Arduino and Edge Impulse, including mentoring, technical documentation, webinars and training sessions.
Prizes
The winning teams will receive:
€3,000 for first place.
€1,000 for second place.
€500 for third place.
In addition, all teams that successfully complete and submit their projects will be allowed to keep the hardware provided for the competition.
Read the competition rules and submit your proposal before 5 July 2026.
