CodeFest '26 LogoSYNTECH ORGANIZATION
CODEFEST
2026
UTP Annual Hackathon 1st Edition

This intervarsity coding competition invites university students to develop innovative digital solutions. Your mission is to build a website or app that solves real societal problems.

“Innovating for the People, by the People”

Getting to Nadi@UTP →Learn More
📅 10 Aug – 14 Nov 2026📍 Nadi@UTP, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS🏁 Grand Finale · Sat, 14 Nov 2026

Grand Finale Begins In

00
Days
00
Hours
00
Mins
00
Secs
RM 2,900
Total Prize Pool
30 Teams
Max Capacity
3 Months
Competition Duration
National
Level Competition
About the Event

Where Code Meets Community

SYNTECH Organization is a student-led technology club at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS dedicated to bridging the gap between academic theory and industry practice. Our mission is to transform curiosity into impactful technology through hands-on experience and holistic leadership.

CodeFest '26 is our flagship intervarsity coding competition organized under the theme “Innovating for the People, by the People”. This initiative serves as a high-impact platform for university students across Malaysia to sharpen their technical expertise by developing a website or app that addresses specific societal challenges. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage directly with industry leaders in fields such as artificial intelligence, software engineering, and cybersecurity through corporate exhibitions and specialized workshops.

SDG 9Drive human-centric technical innovation
SDG 4 & 8Bridge academic theory with industry practice
SDG 17Cultivate future-ready entrepreneurial leadership
Secure Nex Hackathon 2025 — Group photo at Nadi@UTP
Past Success

Secure Nex Hackathon 2025

Organized with PETRONAS, UTP & CeRDaS. 15–16 Nov 2025. Top 10 teams competed in a high-stakes Grand Finale at Nadi@UTP.

10
Finalist Teams
2 Days
Intensive Event
Competition Phases

Your Journey to the Finale

01

Registration

10 Aug – 19 Sep 2026

Form your team of 3–4 and sign up via the online portal. All local universities welcome.

02

Development & Submission

20 Sep – 21 Oct 2026

Build your working prototype or MVP addressing a real societal challenge. Submit all files by 21 Oct.

03

Project Assessment

22 – 28 Oct 2026

Judges evaluate submissions on creativity, technical skill, and real-world impact. Top teams proceed.

04

Grand Finale

14 Nov 2026 · Nadi@UTP

Selected finalists pitch live to industry judges. Winners announced at the award ceremony.

Prizes & Recognition

Win Big, Build Bigger

🥈
1st Runner-up
RM 900
+ Certificate
🏆
Champion
RM 1,200
+ Plaque + Certificate
🥉
2nd Runner-up
RM 600
+ Certificate
❤️
People's Choice Award
RM 200
📜
Certificate of Participation
Awarded to all teams who complete the full hackathon cycle
10 August – 14 November 2026

The Road to the Grand Finale

1
10 Aug – 19 Sep 2026
Registration Open
Teams of 3 to 4 members register through the official portal
2
20 Sep 2026
Development Phase Begins
Teams start designing and building their prototypes
3
23 Sep 2026
Workshop 1: Design Thinking
Cheryl Lim, Jocelyn Neo & Wen Qian Chua
4
27 Sep 2026
Workshop 2: Frontend & Deployment
Raziq Din bin Mohd Tasriri (Xenber)
5
3 Oct 2026
Workshop 3: Backend, DB & Auth
Divyansh Bhatt (Boost)
6
4 Oct 2026
Workshop 4: AI & Domain APIs
Prof. Dr. Nurhizam Safie (UKM)
7
21 Oct 2026
Development Phase Ends
Final submission deadline for all deliverables
8
22 – 28 Oct 2026
Project Assessment
Judging panel evaluates every submission
9
14 Nov 2026
Grand Finale
Shortlisted teams pitch live at Nadi@UTP
Hands-On Learning

Workshops

Four expert-led sessions that took teams from design thinking to deployment during the development phase.

01Completed
Workshop 1

Design Thinking & Prototyping

📅 23 Sep 2026 · 🕗 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Cheryl Lim
Cheryl Lim
Product Designer @ FeedMe
Jocelyn Neo
Jocelyn Neo
UI/UX Designer @ Michael Page
Wen Qian Chua
Wen Qian Chua
UX Designer @ Jora
Top 10 · Preliminary Round Results

Meet the Grand Finalists

Congratulations to the 10 teams advancing to the Grand Finale. See them pitch live at Nadi@UTP on 14 November 2026.

FINALIST 01
4 Bits
FINALIST 02
Nexora
FINALIST 03
Dang Wangi
FINALIST 04
DSIG Team
FINALIST 05
Fe!nomenal
FINALIST 06
DimSum Developer
FINALIST 07
United Nations
FINALIST 08
EAQ
FINALIST 09
Ayam Gepuk Tokpa
FINALIST 10
AI Don't Know
Grand Finale · Saturday, 14 November 2026

Getting to Nadi@UTP

The Grand Finale is held in person at Nadi@UTP, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. Watch the short walkthrough below so you know exactly where to go on the day.

📍
Venue
Nadi@UTP, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
32610 Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak
📅
Date
Saturday, 14 November 2026
Finalists arrive from 9:00 AM
🎟️
Public Exhibition
Open to all students & visitors
Live demos at the finalist booths
Open in Maps ↗Watch Video ↗

Finale Day Programme

Tentative and subject to change

9:00 AM
Arrival of Finalists
Finalists check in and set up their booths
10:00 AM
Public Exhibition
Visitors explore booths, ask questions and see live demos
11:30 AM
Opening Ceremony
Judge introductions and final pitching briefing
12:15 PM
Lunch & Networking
Participants, judges and guests
1:30 PM
Final Pitching Session
Top teams pitch live to the judging panel
4:00 PM
Judges' Deliberation
Final scoring while a closing video plays
4:30 PM
Award Ceremony
Winners announced and prizes presented
5:00 PM
Closing & Photo Session
Group photo and event wrap-up
Registration Closed · Finale on 14 November 2026

See You at the
Grand Finale

Watch the finalists pitch live, explore their booths and celebrate the winners with us at Nadi@UTP, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.

How to Get There
The Team Behind CodeFest '26

Organizing Committee

Students of SYNTECH Organization across six departments, working together to bring CodeFest '26 to life.

Tham Qi Lien
Student Advisor
Tham Qi Lien
Kelvin Law Yun Hong
Project Director
Kelvin Law Yun Hong
Muhammad Akmal Rafiuddin bin Mohd Rizal
Assistant Project Director
Muhammad Akmal Rafiuddin bin Mohd Rizal
Chen Va Liant
Secretary
Chen Va Liant
Geoffrey Lee Jin Yau
Vice Secretary
Geoffrey Lee Jin Yau
Nicholas Ling Bing Zhi
Treasurer
Nicholas Ling Bing Zhi

Executive Committee

Shaene L Kesh
Head of Department
Shaene L Kesh
Iman Najihah binti Zainol Azhar
Assistant Head of Department
Iman Najihah binti Zainol Azhar
Maisha Raiyena Mahiru
Committee Member
Maisha Raiyena Mahiru
Qurratu Nur Fayyadhah binti Ahmad Mawaridi
Committee Member
Qurratu Nur Fayyadhah binti Ahmad Mawaridi
Muhammad Faris bin Alfian
Committee Member
Muhammad Faris bin Alfian
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

All undergraduate students from any local university. Teams must consist of 3 to 4 members.
No. Registration closed on 19 September 2026, and the 10 Grand Finalist teams have been announced. Check the Finalists section above.
Functional prototypes or MVPs addressing societal challenges using AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, or software engineering.
Preliminary phases are online. The Grand Finale on 14 November 2026 is a physical event at Nadi@UTP, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.
Champion RM 1,200 · 1st Runner-up RM 900 · 2nd Runner-up RM 600 · People's Choice Award RM 200. All teams that complete the full competition cycle receive a Certificate of Participation.
SYNTECH Organization at UTP, co-organised by the Department of Computing (DC), supported by Student Affairs (SA) and YUTP.
Yes. The public exhibition at Nadi@UTP on 14 November 2026 is open to all students and visitors. Come see live demos and watch the finalists pitch.
Watch the short directions video in the Venue section above, or open Nadi@UTP in Google Maps from the same section.