{"id":662,"date":"2026-03-18T13:29:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T13:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloggingxpert.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/24-hours-at-rgu-hack-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T13:29:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T13:29:25","slug":"24-hours-at-rgu-hack-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bloggingxpert.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/18\/24-hours-at-rgu-hack-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"24 Hours at RGU Hack 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hackathons are one of those experiences you hear about a lot in Computer Science, but you never truly understand them until you join one yourself. <\/p>\n

My name is Keiko, and I’m a Computer Science student at Robert Gordon University (RGU)<\/a>. Recently, I took part in RGU Hack 2026, a 24-hour hackathon at RGU. It turned out to be one of the most exciting and memorable events of my university life. Even better, my team and I ended up winning!<\/p>\n

<\/span> <\/p>\n

Arriving at the Hackathon<\/h2>\n

From the moment I arrived, the energy in the room was incredible. People were registering, setting up their laptops, and chatting with others. Some participants came with their own teams, while others arrived alone and started grouping up with people they met there.<\/p>\n

I came with three friends, so our team was ready to go. Before the event officially started, we walked around the venue and spoke with several sponsors to learn more about what they do. It was interesting hearing about their work, and it was also a great chance to ask about internships and future opportunities.<\/p>\n

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There were many sponsors supporting the event. The ones I remember most clearly were Salus, Core29, SWORD, and RGU\u2019s School of Computing, Engineering and Technology (SoCET), who also provided the hackathon challenges.<\/p>\n

Opening and Challenge Introductions<\/h2>\n

Once everyone had arrived, the organisers gave a welcome talk and explained how the next 24 hours would work. After that, the sponsors introduced their companies and some also introduced the challenge they had prepared for the participants.<\/p>\n

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There were four challenges in total. What I really liked was how engaging the introductions were. After hearing all the challenges, teams had to decide which one they wanted to work on.<\/p>\n

The Hackathon Begins<\/h2>\n

My team decided to take the challenge from Core29, which focused on sustainability. The idea was to create something that could help people make more environmentally friendly travel choices.<\/p>\n

We spent the first few hours discussing ideas and sketching out what our project could look like. Once we had a clear plan, we started building our solution in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

Our idea was to create a web app that helps people compare different ways of travelling. Users can enter their journey distance or route, and the app shows how different transport options compare in terms of travel time, environmental impact, and even calories burned.<\/p>\n

But we wanted the app to do more than just show information. We wanted it to encourage people to make better choices. So we added features that show the positive impact of choosing greener transport options. For example, the app can tell you how much CO\u2082 you saved and translate it into something easier to imagine, like the equivalent number of trees planted.<\/p>\n

We also added a Sustainability Score to motivate users, along with fun elements like earning badges, comparing progress with friends, and building streaks for making sustainable travel choices over several days.<\/p>\n

Of course, building all of this in 24 hours was not easy. Time went by incredibly fast, and there were many moments where we had to rethink ideas, fix problems, and adjust our plans. By the morning, we realised we had only finished about two thirds of what we originally wanted to build, so we focused on polishing the most important parts of the app.<\/p>\n

Food and Entertainment<\/h2>\n

One thing that made the hackathon even more enjoyable was the atmosphere throughout the event.<\/p>\n

Food was available the entire time. There were snacks everywhere, plenty of energy drinks, and pizza arrived in the evening, which was very appreciated after hours of working.<\/p>\n

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The organisers also planned some fun activities to keep everyone awake. Around 21.00 there was karaoke, which turned out to be surprisingly entertaining after a long day of coding.<\/p>\n

As the night went on, the room started to look quite cosy. Some people changed into pajamas and slept on bean bags or pillows, while others kept working through the night. I managed to get about two hours of sleep before waking up again to continue working with my team.<\/p>\n

Presentation and Results<\/h2>\n

By late morning, we finished working on the app and quickly moved on to preparing our presentation. We knew other teams had built strong projects as well, so we focused on making our pitch clear, engaging, and memorable. We practised several times before presenting to the judges. Standing in front of the judges was definitely nerve-wracking.<\/p>\n

When the winners were finally announced, I honestly did not expect our team to be called. There were so many impressive ideas and projects around the room. Then suddenly we heard our team name.<\/p>\n

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For a few seconds we were completely shocked. After 24 hours of working with very little sleep, hearing that we had won felt unreal. We were excited, surprised, and incredibly happy.<\/p>\n

Looking Back<\/h2>\n

Looking back, the RGU Hack was an amazing experience. It was intense, fun, and incredibly rewarding. Events like this are not just about coding, but also about teamwork, creativity, and solving problems under pressure.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, it reminded me how exciting it is to build something meaningful together with others.<\/p>\n

I would definitely do it again next year.<\/p>\n

Keiko<\/em><\/p>\n

Related Blogs<\/h2>\n

How We Conquered the RGU Hackathon: A 24-Hour Blitz of Innovation, Grit, and Game-Changing Connections!<\/a><\/p>\n

Taking part in the Inform Prize Competition with my computing team<\/a><\/p>\n

The post 24 Hours at RGU Hack 2026<\/a> appeared first on RGU Student Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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