Dates

Convergence takes place on March 28 at 12PM-29 at 12PM, 2026. All project work must be completed during the duration of the event. Final submissions must be uploaded to Devpost before 10:00AM EST on Sunday, March 29th.

Eligibility

This event is open to students of all backgrounds and experience levels. Participants compete in teams. Teams are encouraged to be interdisciplinary, incorporating perspectives from business, engineering, and software. Participants have filled out an RSVP form, and received email confirmation.

Project and Submission Requirements

  • All projects must be developed during the hackathon timeframe
  • Teams must base their solution on the provided case study
  • Submissions must be original work created by the team
  • Use of external tools, libraries, and AI assistance is allowed, but must be appropriately acknowledged
  • Each team must submit their project on Devpost before the deadline
  • Teams must present their solution during the judging session

Failure to submit on Devpost or present may result in disqualification.

Prizes

Top teams will be awarded the following prizes:

🥇 1st Place: $600

🥈 2nd Place: $300

🥉 3rd Place: $100

Prizes will be distributed through Purdue’s Business Office for Student Organizations (BOSO). Prize amounts will be split evenly among team members. Winning teams will receive further information regarding prize distribution after the event.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of judges based on overall quality, creativity, and effectiveness in addressing the challenge.

Judges will consider factors such as:

  • Understanding of the problem and key constraints
  • Integration of finance, software, and engineering perspectives
  • Feasibility and practicality of the proposed solution
  • Level of innovation and creativity
  • Clarity and effectiveness of the presentation

Winning teams will be selected based on overall performance and the strength of their proposed solution. Judges may also consider the potential impact and how well teams balance creativity with realistic implementation.

 

Event Logistics & Attendance

Saturday (March 28): The event will run from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM in HAMP (Dellen and Elizabeth Hampton Hall of Civil Engineering). The main activities will take place in HAMP 1252, with additional HAMP rooms available for teams to use as workspace.

Participants are required to attend the opening session, check-in, and team formation. After that, teams may continue working on their solutions independently.

Workshops covering the finance, engineering, and software components will be offered throughout the event. While these workshops are optional, they are designed to support teams in developing strong solutions, and attendance may be considered as part of the judging process.

Sunday (March 29): Final presentations and judging will take place from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM in LILY 2102.