JOHOR BAHRU, Apr 26 – The Persatuan Mahasiswa Sains Komputer (PERSAKA) proudly organized the UTMxHackathon’25, a dynamic competition that brought together 117 students across 33 groups from universities all over Malaysia. The event began with a virtual opening ceremony on April 12, followed by the Grand Finale at the Smart Classroom, N28A, Faculty of Computing, and a vibrant closing ceremony at Dewan Kejora, Faculty Of Computing, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) on April 26.
This year’s hackathon gathered students from various faculties, including the Faculty of Computing and Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE). We proudly welcomed participants from universities across Malaysia, including Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Multimedia University (MMU), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), and more. Students from various backgrounds united with a common goal, to innovate real-world solutions to today’s challenges.
Supported by Dell Technologies as an industry partner, participants were presented with three real-world case studies: “Empowering Seamless Onboarding with Generative AI”, “Smart Energy Platform in Building Infrastructure”, and “Proactive IT Health Monitoring”.
Participants attended a virtual briefing session, where they were given one week to craft and submit their proposals. From there, the Top 10 teams were selected to pitch their ideas live at the Grand Finale.
The Grand Finale featured a live pitching session in front of distinguished judges: Ahmad Rizwan Romli, Senior Manager at Dell Technologies and two academic experts from UTM, Dr. Ahmad Najmi Amerhaider Nuar and Dr. Alif Ridzuan Khairuddin. The pitching sessions were filled with creative, practical, and visionary solutions that impressed the panel.
The event concluded in a closing ceremony officiated by the Assoc. Prof. Dr. Syed Norris Hikmi, Director of UTM Centre for Student Innovation & Technology Entrepreneurship (XCITE), who praised all participants for their dedication, resilience, and outstanding performance throughout the hackathon. UTMxHackathon’25 successfully nurtured students’ creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, while strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.
During the awards presentation, special recognitions were given to outstanding teams who excelled in various categories. TRIBYTE was honored with the Best UI/UX Design Award for their exceptional interface and user experience, while KGF received the Best Pitch Idea Award for delivering the most compelling presentation. Meanwhile, BLABLABLA was recognized with the Best Innovative Idea Award for their creative and forward-thinking solution.
The excitement reached its peak with the announcement of the overall winners. EGGSHELL secured the position of Second Runner-Up (3rd Place), followed by 4 LITTLE HONEYS as the First Runner-Up (2nd Place). Finally, OVERSIZED MINIONS were crowned the Champion (1st Place) of UTMxHackathon’25. The event ended on a high note with a joyful group photo session featuring the winners, finalists, judges, and organizing committee.
UTMxHackathon’25 successfully nurtured participants’ creativity, innovation, and collaboration skills, while strengthening ties between academia and industry. This hackathon not only showcased the talents of our students but also reaffirmed UTM’s commitment to fostering a future generation of technology leaders.
Congratulations once again to all participants, winners, and organizing committees.
Keep dreaming big, innovating boldly, and shaping a better tomorrow!