AccroNex 2026 · First edition
One day.
One sealed problem.
Screening theme: Open Innovation: solve a real problem for real people. The first AccroNex brings up to 20 teams from all three faculties of the University of Vavuniya into one hall for a full day of building.
- When
- 5 November 2026
- Where
- Faculty of Technological Studies, University of Vavuniya
- Teams
- 3–4 members · up to 20 finalist teams
- Prizes
- LKR 30,000 · LKR 15,000 · medals, certificates and a sealed surprise
From sign-up to stage
Five milestones between now and the closing ceremony. Every date is Sri Lanka time and enforced by the platform, so a form closes at the deadline even if your browser still shows it.
2 Oct 2026
Theme announced
“Open Innovation: solve a real problem for real people”: pitch any real problem to get in. The finale theme stays sealed in the Vault.
2 Oct 2026 → 10 Oct 2026
Register and pitch
One form per team of 3–4: members, skills, past work and your idea for a real problem you choose. No prototype needed.
11 Oct 2026 → 14 Oct 2026
Selection
The panel reads every registration. If places are tight, close teams sit a short logic quiz as a tiebreaker.
15 Oct 2026
Finalists announced
Up to 20 teams, plus a waitlist. Every member gets the result by SMS. Finalists confirm their team and meal choices by 18 Oct.
5 Nov 2026 → 5 Nov 2026
Grand finale
One full day at the University of Vavuniya: the Vault opens in the morning, you build through the day, and pitch and defend your code before the awards.
LKR 45,000 in cash, medals, and one sealed surprise.
Awarded at the closing ceremony on 5 November.
Runner-up
LKR 15,000
- Medals for every member
- Certificates
- Champions
Winner
LKR 30,000
- Winner medals for every member
- Certificates
- A surprise gift, revealed on stage
2nd runner-up
Medals & certificates
- Medals for every member
- Certificates
The winners' surprise winners only · 5 Nov · 20:30
Sealed until the closing ceremony. Not a gadget, and worth more than the cheque.
Every finalist team
Certificate of participation · AccroNex 2026 stickers · Meals and refreshments through the day
The schedule
Draft timings for Thursday 5 November. Checkpoints and the twist are triggered by the platform, so the clock on your dashboard is the one that counts.
- Thu 5 Nov · 07:00Check-in with your QR pass, stickers, breakfast
- 07:30Opening ceremony, sponsors, rules briefing
- 08:00The Vault opens. Repos created. Clock starts.
- 11:30Progress checkpoint 1 (server-timed)
- 13:00Lunch; building continues
- 14:00The twist: one added requirement
- 16:30Progress checkpoint 2
- 18:30Code freeze. Repositories become read-only.
- 18:45 – 20:15Pitches and build walkthroughs in front of the judges
- 20:30Awards and closing ceremony
- 21:00Event ends
Built live, or not at all
We can't watch twenty teams for a month, so we designed the event so that early work is worthless, live work is visible, and the tools you use are up to you.
Two-level reveal
To get in, you pitch any real problem you choose. The finale theme and statements are different, with constraints nobody can guess, and unlock on stage.
Fresh repo at H-zero
Each team's repository is created inside the AccroNex GitHub organisation at the reveal. The first commit is your time zero and the history is evidence.
Progress checkpoints
A one-minute recording and two lines of progress from the dashboard at set times during the day. Twenty percent of the score is consistent progress, not a finished product on the first morning.
The twist
After lunch the Vault opens again with one added requirement. Pre-built solutions bend badly; live-built ones adapt.
Own the build
In the final pitch a judge picks any part of the product and any team member to walk through how it works and why. Similarity scans run across all finalist repositories.
AI is welcome
ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Cursor, Lovable: use whatever you like, for anything. We judge what you ship and how well you understand it, not how many lines you typed.
Build beyond limits
Your team.
One day. One stage.
Registration is free and takes ten minutes. Bring two or three friends from any faculty.