RIDC PT Innovation Hackathon 2026

Winners also receive Internship opportunities and potential incubation support from RIDC partners.

• Open to all registered students at Tanzanian universities and colleges.
• Participants must be enrolled at the time of registration.
• This hackathon is individual only - no teams allowed. Each participant competes independently.
• Each participant may only compete in one category.
• Previous winners from the same category are not eligible to re-enter.

• All submitted work must be original. Plagiarism results in immediate disqualification.
• Use of open-source libraries is permitted with proper attribution.
• Judges' decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
• Participants must treat all judges, organisers, and fellow contestants with respect.
• Any form of cheating, impersonation, or manipulation will lead to permanent disqualification.
• Projects must not contain offensive, discriminatory, or harmful content.

All projects are evaluated across four stages. Criteria vary by stage:

• Stage 1 – Concept: Problem relevance, innovation, feasibility, expected impact, clarity (20% of total score)
• Stage 2 – Pitch: Presentation quality, problem understanding, solution depth, Q&A (20%)
• Stage 3 – Mid-Review: Design quality, progress vs plan, technical depth (10%)
• Stage 4 – Final: Functionality, innovation, technical excellence, impact & scalability, demo (50%)

• Registration Closes: See schedule page
• Stage 1 – Concept Submission: Open now - see schedule for deadline
• Stage 2 – Pitch Presentation: Date on schedule page
• Stage 3 – Mid-Review: Date on schedule page
• Stage 4 – Finals: Date on schedule page

Visit the Schedule page for exact dates and times.

All ideas, concepts, solutions, and any other work submitted or developed during this hackathon shall be the sole and exclusive property of the eGA via RIDC.

By participating, contestants acknowledge and agree that no part of their submission - including but not limited to ideas, designs, code, documentation, or any derivative works - may be used, reproduced, distributed, or exploited in any form without the express written authorization of eGA via RIDC.

Participants warrant that their submissions are original and do not infringe on any third-party rights.

Can I participate solo?
Yes. Teams of only 1 member is allowed.

Can team members be from different universities?
Yes, cross-university teams are welcome.

Can I change my category after registering?
No. Your category is fixed at registration time.

Is there a registration fee?
No. Participation is completely free.

What language should submissions be in?
English. Presentations may include Swahili where relevant to the audience.

For questions, contact the RIDC hackathon team:

• Email: hackathon@ega.go.tz
• Phone: +255 22 211 0073
• Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (EAT)

For technical issues with this portal, use the contact details above and mention "Portal Support".