Students
For example...- Study copilots & revision planners
- Note summarisation & concept linking
- Accessibility & assistive tools
- Wellbeing nudges and check‑ins
- etc
Leeds <hack_ai_thon>
Unleash your innovation. Build AI‑powered apps to improve how we learn, teach, and support students.
Powered by Plato & Digital Education of University of Leeds
11 Oct 2025 · 10:00–20:00·
Helix, EC Stoner · University of Leeds·
Free to join·
Teams
- 1–3 members
- Form on the day or bring your teammates
Prizes
- Cash prizes and trophies for all members of the Top 3
- Certificates for all
Perks
- Free to join
- Food & refreshments provided
Special prize category
Most Creative Application of AI (1 team)
- Cash prizes
- Certificates
Best Technical Implementation (1 team)
- Cash prizes
- Certificates
Theme: AI in Education
AI × Education
Build a real application that uses AI to make a meaningful difference in learning and student experience. You don’t have to be an AI expert—focus on solving a real problem and use AI where it helps. Build for any platform—web, mobile, desktop, cli, embedded or any other platform.
Access & InclusionLearning OutcomesTime-savingWellbeingCommunity & BelongingAcademic Integrity
Powered by
Build for…
Educators
For example...- Lecture material assistants
- Assessment & feedback support
- Interactive content generation
- Insights on learning gaps
- etc
University
For example...- Signal early wellbeing/engagement risk
- Smarter outreach & comms
- Feedback analysis & themes
- Service discovery chatbots
- etc
Build application for students, educators or institiotion or a combination of above. Pick from example challenges or bring your own ideas.
Judging criteria
Impact & Relevance
We are looking for projects that solve a significant, real-world problem in education. We will assess your solution's usefulness, practicality, and potential to make a meaningful and scalable impact for its target users.
Technical Execution
We will assess the quality of your project's build and execution. We want to see a functional prototype, sophisticated use of AI, and effective implementation of technology. Your code's quality and robustness are key.
Innovation & Creativity
We will evaluate the originality and creativity of your solution. We are looking for novel ideas, unique approaches to the problem, and a high-quality user experience. A well-designed, intuitive interface is something we highly value.
Strategic Application of AI
This assesses how cleverly AI is applied as a core, value-adding component of your solution. We value the purpose and intelligence of the AI's integration over the raw performance of any specific model.
No need to be an AI expert
We’re judging the usefulness, impact, and execution of your app—not whether you trained a model from scratch. Use whatever gets you to a great solution:
- Use LLM APIs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
- No‑code / low‑code (Bubble, Glide, etc.)
- Fine‑tune or bring your own model if you want
- AI‑generated code is allowed
Tip: Scope small, ship fast. A sharp demo beats an unfinished big vision.
Saturday, 11 Oct 2025 · 10:00–20:00
Helix, EC Stoner · University of Leeds · Leeds students only
FAQ
Do I need to be an expert in AI?
You'll make AI powered application. You can choose to bring your own model, use locally running LLMs, use API or no-code tools. All skill level welcome. Focus on a useful app; use AI where it helps.
What are the platform I can build for?
Web, mobile, desktop, CLI, embedded, or any other platform. There are no restrictions
Can I come solo?
Yes. Teams are 1–3. You can form a team on the day.
What should I bring?
Laptop, charger, student ID. Optional: datasets, Figma, API keys.
IP & ethics?
You keep your IP. Use only data you have rights to. Be transparent if synthetic or AI‑generated.