Proposed solutions may address areas such as:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Next-generation communication and connected systems
• Internet of Things and smart environments
• Digital health and assistive technologies
• Education and inclusive technologies
• Sustainability and climate resilience
• Cybersecurity, privacy and trustworthy digital systems
• Other responsible, human-centred technology applications

• Teams must consist of 3–5 undergraduate students.
• Students may form multidisciplinary teams.
• Teams may include students from different institutions or countries.
• Each student may participate in only one team and one submission.
• Each team must nominate one team leader as its official contact person.
• A faculty adviser may guide the team but will not be considered a team member.
• Participants must provide evidence of current undergraduate registration if requested.
• All submissions and presentations must be in English.

1. Online Registration and Initial Submission. Teams complete the official online form and submit the problem to be addressed, proposed solution, intended users or beneficiaries, expected impact, technical approach, team and institution details, and a short pitch deck, concept video or supporting link if requested.
2. Preliminary Evaluation. All eligible submissions will be reviewed according to the published evaluation criteria. Approximately 10–15 teams will be selected for the next stage; the final number may vary depending on the number and quality of submissions.
3. Mentoring and Prototype Development. Shortlisted teams will receive the final competition guidelines and may participate in online mentoring sessions, then develop and submit their prototype, pitch deck and supporting materials.
4. Hackathon Final. Shortlisted teams present and demonstrate their solutions during the online/hybrid final on 8 December 2026. An international judging panel will evaluate the solutions and select the winners.
5. Recognition at NEW2AN 2026. Winners receive trophies and certificates during NEW2AN 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, commencing on 15 December 2026.

Submissions must be the students’ own work. Any earlier work, external assistance, datasets, software, pre-trained models and generative-AI tools used must be clearly disclosed.

Teams must use data and digital resources lawfully and respect privacy, consent, confidentiality, cybersecurity, intellectual-property rights and responsible-AI principles. Plagiarism, fabricated results, false claims, undisclosed reuse or other breaches of the competition rules may result in disqualification.