4th Annual Mpumalanga Artificial intelligence Students' Hackathon (MAISH)

Description

Preamble The Mpumalanga Artificial Intelligence Student Hackathon (MAISH) is a provincial competition of student hackers hosted jointly by universities in the Mpumalanga province, namely: The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Faculty of ICT at eMalahleni campus, and the University of Mpumalanga (UMP), Faculty of Science. This initiative supports the National Development Plan (Vision 2030) of the Government of the Republic of South Africa by addressing Chapter 9, which focuses on "Improving Education, Training, and Innovation." This focus is also highlighted as one of the socio-economic outcomes in the Mpumalanga Vision 2030. The hackathon is further aligned with the strategic pillars of the hosting universities. TUT’s 2020–2025 strategic pillars aim to prepare future-ready graduates who make a societal impact through research, innovation, engagement, and technology transfer, fostering growth, development, and sustainability. Similarly, UMP’s Vision 2022 seeks to "establish an institutional environment conducive to high-impact scholarship, research, and innovation." What the Hack? The Mpumalanga AI Hackathon (MAISH) is a comprehensive and innovative program designed to address real-world challenges through digital solutions while fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and government. The hackathon prioritises two key factors: extending the hackathon into a longer program with build-up sprints and establishing a unique hackathon identity to promote creativity and continuity. Below is a detailed breakdown of the MAISH framework, its objectives, themes, and alignment with national development goals: HACKATHON PLATFORM The following virtual platforms will be considered: • MS Teams • Google Meet • WhatsApp • GIT Hub • And others… TARGET AUDIENCE/PARTICIPANTS The target participants for the hackathon are TUT & UMP Students from relevant faculties. Each team will be allocated a mentor/coach to work with during the duration of the hackathon. PRIZES Yeah, you heard right, there are prizes to be won. Prizes include: • Gifts • Vouchers • Training • Certificates POST HACKATHON The hackathon will not only be a 3-days event, but continuous support will be made available to the winners and other qualifying participants. The following range of support will be provided: • Incubation • Mentorship & Support • DevOps Cloud Infrastructure • Seed Funding • Solution Commissioning PARTNERSHIP