The Warren Centre & Professor Ron Johnston
Humanitarian
Innovation Hackathon
The Warren Centre & Professor Ron Johnston
Humanitarian
Innovation Hackathon
Hackathon Challenges Live!
We hope you have had an incredible start to the 2025 Humanitarian Innovation Hackathon! In your teams, you now have 48 hours to develop your solutions to the the Hackathon Challenges.
This year, we have four challenges all based around UN SDG 2: Zero Hunger. From improving nutrition to biodiversity, each challenge is designed to put your engineering skills to the test:
Watch all 2025
Hackathon Finalists
This year our judges have had a really tough job choosing the top contenders who will move on to the final round.
These teams have shown exceptional creativity and dedication.
Team Formation and Confirmation of Attendance
Teams should have 3–4 students and a Team Captain to register the group. No team? No problem, confirm your attendance and we’ll place you in one on the Hackathon weekend.
All participants must confirm if they’re joining in person or online, and whether they’re part of a team or solo.
Registering your Team
If you are the Team Captain, use the link below to register your team.
Your team members need to provide you the email address they used to sign up for the Hackathon (it’s not always their Uni email address, so please double check).
Request Team Allocation
If you do not have a team, you should still confirm your attendance at the Hackathon, using the link below. This will allow us to place you into a team of similar students taking part in the Hackathon.
Your team members may be attending in-person at Sydney Uni or collaborating online.
Forming a team early has its advantages
By forming your team before the event, you can meet your team members, and possibly even your mentor, in advance to ensure a stress-free start to the Hackathon. You might even receive a clue about this year’s Hackathon Challenges too!
Please register your team or confirm your attendance before 16th July
Key dates
Hackathon Webinar: 19 March 2025
Hackathon Weekend: 18 – 20 July 2025
Hackathon Awards Ceremony: 19 August 2025
Team prizes
$5,000 – 1st Prize
$3,000 – 2nd Prize
$1,000 – 3rd Prize
All prizes are for the team, not each participant
Get all the details, download the Hackathon 2025 Info Kit now
Download Information Kit
Hackathon
Explainer Video
Get ready for the 2025 Humanitarian Innovation Hackathon: our annual weekend-long humanitarian engineering contest.
Over 48 hours, you’ll work together in teams of 3-4 students to develop solutions to real-world humanitarian challenges.
Program
Open to all university students in Australia, New Zealand and The Pacific Islands region
Our Humanitarian Innovation Hackathon is a weekend-long in-person and online hybrid event designed for university students to work collaboratively in cross-discipline teams to create technology-driven solutions for the most pressing humanitarian challenges.
Participants are asked to identify practical solutions for real and current problems from an existing international humanitarian response context.
Since our establishment in 2019, The Humanitarian Innovation Hackathon has seen hundreds of students address significant topics including climate change-induced population displacement, educating for the future, aiding island communities and the provision of clean water.
Rules, Entry & Eligibility
National and international university students domiciled in Australia, New Zealand and The Pacific Islands region, and studying at a university.
Entries are limited to undergraduate students.
Entrants will be required to provide evidence of their eligibility under these rules as a part of their application for entry. Example of evidence is a university ID card.
An individual may only participate in a single team. She/he cannot work across multiple teams.
Students must register as individuals. However, after registration, students can form their own teams of 3-4 students.
Connect with us
Join Us Online or In Person
The 2025 Hackathon is a hybrid event. There will be 1 in-real-life location that all participants can participate from. They also have the option of participating online, utilising the live-stream on the website and Slack.
If you are attending in-person, we have prepared an info pack with everything you need to know about the event and getting to and from the Sydney Knowledge Hub.
Our location
University of Sydney – Sydney Knowledge Hub
Hackathon Schedule
4pm – Opening Ceremony Commencement
4:30pm – Mini Challenge: Make a Team Promo
5:30pm – Hackathon Challenges Announcement
7pm – Make a Team Promo Winner Announcement
9am – Official Kickoff
9:10am – Mini Moment: How to make a video
5pm – Closing Saturday
9am – Official Kickoff
12pm – Submissions Due
12:15pm – DJ Beth Yen (back by popular demand)
1:45pm – Welcome to the Judges
Become a Mentor
Wish you could participate, but your undergrad days are behind you?
Join our team as a Hackathon Mentor and be at the forefront of change in humanitarian innovation.
You will:
• Meet new and likeminded people in the industry
• See what’s innovating a whole new generation
• Be a part of finding real-world solutions
• Have something cool to put on LinkedIn
Sound like you?
Expressions of Interest are now open! If you’re interested, please email us at engineering.external@sydney.edu.au. We look forward to hearing from you!
Meet our
2025 Judges
Zahid Iqbal
Roads & Highways Manager, South East Asia & Pacific, SMEC
Dr Robert L. Guild
Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility Team Leader, Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility
Anna Gero
Doctoral Candidate, Griffith University
Dr Ian Opperman
Industry Professor, University of Technology Sydney & Co-founder ServiceGen
Dr Marlene Kanga AO FTSE FREng FAICD
Chair, Rux Energy
Joanna Buldeski
Principal Safeguards Specialist, Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Dr Elena Dehnavi
Research Fellow, Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), University of New England
Prof Salah Sukkarieh
Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Australian Centre for Robotics, The University of Sydney
Dr Sara de las Heras-Saldana
Research Fellow, Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), University of New England
Hackathon Weekend
We set up a Hack Live studio in Sydney where the Hackathon is broadcasted LIVE across the country
Watch Highlights
The Warren Centre’s Professor Ron Johnston Humanitarian Innovation Awards has been a highlight in the engineering student calendar since 2019, attracting fierce competition amongst university undergraduates throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island region.
In 2024, Challenges were designed around utilising digital technology applications to address specific UN Strategic Development Goals.
Hackathon supporters
Hackathon supporters help make the event possible by contributing their time, resources, and expertise
Venue Partner
Sydney Knowledge Hub, the University of Sydney’s startup incubator and research commercialisation hub
Social Media Assets
#HumanitarianInnovationHackathon #hack2025 #usyd
Calling all Australian and Pacific Island Undergraduate University Students. Do you want to help change the world? Find out how you can participate in the 2025
#HumanitarianInnovationAwards, including the #Humanitarian #Innovation #Hackathon this July!
#HumanitarianInnovationHackathon #hack2025 #usyd – For more information – bit.ly/hack-live
#HumanitarianInnovationHackathon is happening across the country this July. bit.ly/hack-live for more information#HumanitarianInnovationHackathon #hack2025 #usyd
The#HumanitarianInnovationHackathon is a weekend-long event designed for all Australian and Pacific Island university students to work collaboratively, in cross-discipline teams, to create technology-driven solutions for the most pressing #humanitarian challenges.
Participants are asked to identify practical solutions for real and current problems, from a current international humanitarian response context. The HIA Hackathon runs from 18-20 July 2025.
bit.ly/hack-live for more information
#HumanitarianInnovationHackathon #hack2025 #usyd
About Ron Johnston
Professor Ron Johnston, the former Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Innovation (ACIIC), has worked for more than 30 years to pioneer a better understanding of the ways that science and technology contribute to economic and social development, the characteristics of the global knowledge economy, and the processes and culture of innovation.
His special skill is based on the breadth of his knowledge across technologies and his ability to integrate them into a socioeconomic and environmental context.
These annual awards are named in honor of him, to recognise his outstanding contributions as Director of ACIIC for some 20+ years.
Hackathon Past Winners
Hackathon Innovation Winner (Medal and $5,000)
- Casey Lockrey (University of Sydney)
- Harrison Ledger (University of New South Wales)
- Nicholas Chiaverini (University of Wollongong)
- Liam Harvey (University of Wollongong)
Hackathon Innovation Runner Up Prize ($3,000)
- Ellie June (University of Sydney)
- Hannah Poon (University of Sydney)
- Sophia Lee (University of Sydney)
- Kathy Kim (University of Sydney)
Hackathon Innovation 3rd Prize ($1,000)
- Wiseson Kuang (University of Canterbury)
- Vaughan Smart (University of Canterbury)
- Kien Ngo (University of Canterbury)
- Jessica Dixon (University of Canterbury)
First prize: RedR Ron Johnston Rapid Response Prize (Medal and $5,000)
- Adam Slimming (University of Adelaide)
- Alex Hofman (Monash University)
- Gemma Biezen (Monash University)
- Sam Hillcoat (Monash University)
Hackathon Innovation Runner Up Prize (Medal and $3,000)
- Elvera Abdel-Messih (University of Technology Sydney)
- Ji Han Qin (The University of Sydney)
Hackathon Innovation 3rd Prize ($1,000)
- Angus Henderson (The University of Sydney)
- Wesley Henderson (University of Technology Sydney)
- Franco Yemma (The University of Sydney)
Solarobotix Digital Innovation Prize ($1,000)
“Team 13B Pacific Green Machine”
- Arushanan Prapakaran (University of New South Wales)
- Connor Sinclair (The University of Sydney)
- Zhiyu Cheng (The University of Sydney)
- Ritvik Sharma (The University of Sydney)
First Prize: RedR Ron Johnston Rapid Response Prize (Prize: Medal and $5,000)
- Henry Howard (University of Sydney)
- Vicky-Rae Reed (Western Sydney University)
- Hogun Lim (University of Queensland)
- Nadia Akbar (Monash University)
Vonwiller Humanitarian Innovation Runner Up Prize
- Alex Hofman (Monash University)
- Alex Qin (Australian National University)
- Nyamjargal Namsraijav (University of Adelaide)
- Shute Zhang (University of Sydney)
Laing O’Rourke for Best Presentation (Prize: $1,000)
First Prize: RedR Ron Johnston Rapid Response Prize (Prize: Medal and $5,000)
- Edith Lume (University of Wollongong)
- Mansour Adie (University of Sydney)
- Thomas Sau (MacquarieUniversity)
- Ivy He (University of Sydney)
Vonwiller Humanitarian Innovation Runner Up Prize
- Emily Sacks (University of Sydney)
- Gayathri Aranhiyullathil Pradeep (University of New South Wales)
- Rebecca Kung (University of Sydney)
- Akrita Singh (Macquarie University)
- Aishwarya Kathikeuan (Macquarie University)
Engineers Australia People’s Choice Award
- Emily Sacks (University of Sydney)
- Gayathri Aranhiyullathil Pradeep (University of New South Wales)
- Rebecca Kung (University of Sydney)
- Akrita Singh (Macquarie University)
- Aishwarya Kathikeuan (Macquarie University)
First Prize: RedR Ron Johnston Rapid Response Prize (Prize: Medal and $5,000)
- Alex Hofmann (Monash University)
- Allan Soo (University of Technology Sydney)
- Ben Hofmann (Australian National University)
- Emily Unewisse (University of Adelaide)
- James Hurst (Australian National University)
Pacific Telecommunications Council / Beyond Essential Humanitarian Internship Appointent
- Katia Moors (University of Sydney)
- Thomas Sau (Macquarie University
Pacific Telecommunications Council First Prize for Best Humanitarian Digital Innovation
- Alida Fois from (University of Melbourne)
- Celina Dhobbie (Monash University)
- Charvi Mamidi (University of Sydney)
- Portia Sihvola (Queensland University of Technology)
Pacific Telecommunications Council Second Prize for Best Humanitarian Digital Innovation
- Avanish Shrestha (University of Sydney)
- Isabella Notarpietro (University of New South Wales)
- Rafe Skidmore (University of Sydney)
- Meg Phillips (University of Tasmania)
- Syed Emaad Rizwan (Macquarie University)
First Prize: RedR Ron Johnston Rapid Response Prize (Prize: Medal and $5,000)
- Cameron Choi (University of Sydney)
- Fransiska Bekti (University of Sydney)
- Kevin Miao (University of Sydney)
- Mark Cavanna (University of Sydney)
- Terrence Darma (University of Sydney)
- Aisha Warsame (Deakin University)
- Brittany Gardner (University of Sydney)
- Harshita Jyoti (Australian National University)
- Madeline Liddle (Australian National University)
- Seo Woo Bae (University of Sydney)
- Adele van der Winden (Queensland University of Technology)
- Liam McAllister (Queensland University of Technology)
- Riley de Jong (Queensland University of Technology)
- Tasfia Quader (Macquarie University)
- Thomas Larkin (Australian National University)
Laing O’Rourke best presentation: “Rafts & Rails”
- Boran Wang (University of Sydney)
- Jasper Rasmussen (University of Sydney)
- Joseph Malicdem (Macquarie University)
- Qiting Huang (University of Sydney)
- Victor Zhuang (University of Sydney)