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ThunderHacks II

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Two campuses. One competition.

Algoma University's flagship hackathon, running on both campuses at once.

  • October 14-16, 2026
  • Brampton
  • Sault Ste. Marie

Ready to bring the thunder in

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8:00am on Monday 21 September

Greater Toronto Area

Brampton Campus

The GTA campus, and where the first ThunderHacks ran in March 2026.

Northern Ontario

Sault Ste. Marie Campus

Algoma's home campus, open to Algoma and Sault College students.

Same three days. Same prize pool. One judging panel.

One competition, running in two places

ThunderHacks II is the second edition of Algoma University's flagship hackathon. The first ran on one campus. This one runs across two at the same time, with judging combined into a single competition so every team is measured against the same bar.

Who can enter
Algoma University students at both campuses, plus Sault College students at the Sault Ste. Marie campus.
How it runs
Three days, daytime hours. Build during the day, go home at night, come back sharp. The venue closes each evening after dinner.
How big
65 spots across the two campuses. Register after they are taken and you go on the waitlist, in the order people sign up.
How it is judged
Both campuses stream to each other, and submissions are judged together on the final day by one panel.

Prizes

Three overall placements, a prize on each sponsored challenge track, and a prize for the game jam.

$5,000 total

  1. 1st$1,750Best project overall, judged across both campuses.
  2. 2nd$750Runner-up.
  3. 3rd$500Third place.

Sponsored challenge tracks

  • Gold track$1,000Awarded to the best submission against OLG's challenge.
  • Silver track$500Awarded to the best submission against the Canadian Bank Note challenge.

Game jam

  • Algoma game jam$500Awarded to the winners of the Algoma game jam.

Sponsors

ThunderHacks II runs because these organisations back it, with money, with prizes, and with their people.

Schedule

Times may still shift by a few minutes. Anything that changes is posted here before the event.

Wednesday

October 14

Opening

  1. 3:00 PM
    Registration and check-in
  2. 4:00 PM
    Opening ceremony
    Broadcast to both campuses.
  3. 5:30 PM
    Anti-money laundering workshop
    Run by OLG, 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Presented from Sault Ste. Marie and streamed to Brampton, with OLG experts in the room in Brampton for questions afterwards.
  4. Evening
    Dinner
  5. After dinner
    Hacking begins
    Keep building at the venue or head home. Doors close at 10 PM.

Thursday

October 15

Build day

  1. 11:00 AM
    Careers and hiring workshop
    Run by OLG, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Presented from Brampton and streamed to Sault Ste. Marie, with OLG experts in the room in Sault Ste. Marie for questions afterwards.
  2. 12:00 PM
    Lunch
    12:00 to 1:00 PM.
  3. 1:00 PM
    Canadian Bank Note workshop
    Run by Canadian Bank Note, 1:00 to 2:00 PM. CBN and Blast Gaming in Sault Ste. Marie on what they do, the Blast game server and how it is built, graphics design for static and animated game art, and a walk through the crash game concept, with questions at the end.
  4. 2:00 PM
    Hacking continues
  5. 4:00 PM
    Gaming competition
    4:00 to 6:00 PM.
  6. 7:00 PM
    Dinner
  7. 10:00 PM
    Doors close

Friday

October 16

Judging

  1. 10:00 AM
    Breakfast
  2. 12:00 PM
    Submissions close
  3. 12:30 PM
    Presentations and judging
    One panel, both campuses. 12:30 to 2:30 PM.
  4. 2:30 PM
    Closing ceremony, lunch and networking
    Prizes announced. Ends at 3:30 PM.

Where it started

Thirty-six people, twelve teams, three days, one campus. ThunderHacks II is built on what that weekend proved.

The first ThunderHacks, March 2026, Brampton

A winning team holding an oversized prize cheque in front of the hackathon winners screen at ThunderHacks, March 2026
The ALCOMS organising team with faculty in front of the sponsor thank-you screen at ThunderHacks, March 2026Three hackers presenting their project at the podium at ThunderHacks, March 2026A team pitching to the judging panel at ThunderHacks, March 2026A participant trying a VR headset at ThunderHacks, March 2026
  • 36
    Hackers
  • 12
    Teams
  • 3
    Days
  • 1
    Campus

Who won

  1. 1stBidhan Thapa, Harris Adedeji, Pratikshya Thapa, Vikas Saahil
  2. 2ndJoel Saji Varghese, Niya Jose
  3. 3rdMasir Javed, Raafay Sheikh, Tarang Rana, Rachit Ranabhat

Backed the first time by Shield Identity, Digital Move, Food Quotient.

Questions

Who can take part?

Algoma University students at either campus, and Sault College students at the Sault Ste. Marie campus. Every skill level is welcome, including people who have never been to a hackathon.

What does it cost?

Nothing. Entry, food and wifi are all covered.

Do I need a team?

No. Come on your own and we will help you find a team at the opening ceremony, or bring up to three others and enter together.

How big can a team be?

Up to four people. Teams have to be from the same campus.

Is food provided?

Yes. Dinner on the first day, lunch and dinner on the second, breakfast and lunch on the third.

Is there wifi?

Yes, on both campuses, for the whole event.

Do I have to stay overnight?

No. This is a daytime event. The venue closes each evening after dinner and opens again the next morning.

What should I bring?

Your laptop and charger, student ID, headphones, a water bottle, and anything you need to be comfortable for a long day. Bring the vibes.

Can I start building before the event?

No. Everything you submit has to be built during the event. Open-source libraries, frameworks and public APIs are all fine.

How is it judged?

Submissions from both campuses go to one panel on the final day. Sponsored challenge tracks are judged by that sponsor alongside the overall placements.

What if I am at the other campus?

Both campuses run the same schedule and stream to each other, so opening, workshops and closing are shared. You compete against everyone, not just your own campus.

How many spots are there?

65 across both campuses. Registration stays open after that, and anyone who signs up later joins a waitlist in the order they register. We move people up as spots come free.

What if I cannot make it any more?

Cancel your registration from your dashboard, or email alcoms@algomau.ca and we will do it for you. Spots are limited and people are waiting, so tell us as early as you can instead of leaving a place unused.

How do I sign up?

Register on this site, then create a team or join one from your dashboard. You can also register alone and find a team later.

Three days, two campuses, one competition.

Registration is open. Sign up in a minute, then create a team or join one from your dashboard.

RegisterSponsor ThunderHacks