Hackathon Proper
Form a team, pick a problem, and build a working solution to a real-world or community challenge.
SparkFest 2026 — Igniting Innovation, Building Impact, Empowering Communities
Igniting Innovation. Building Impact. Empowering Communities.
Open to all PUP & inter-university students
Build the Spark.
Become the Impact.
SparkFest 2026 is the flagship hackathon of Google Developer Groups on Campus PUP. For three intense weeks, students from technical, creative, and managerial backgrounds team up to mirror a real startup environment — designing, building, and pitching solutions to challenges that actually matter.
But we don't stop at the screen. Every build connects to a community. Through our Community Impact Initiative, the winning team's solution directly supports an underserved sector — from jeepney drivers to security personnel to your local barangay.
“This isn't a competition for prizes. It's a movement for impact.”
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Partners & Sponsors
In Collaboration With
Long Term Diamond Sponsor
Event Gold Sponsor
Long Term Community Partner
What Goes Down at Sparkfest?
Mentorship Sessions
Get hands-on guidance from industry pros and technical experts who've actually been there.
Pitching Day
Finalist teams take the stage to pitch their solutions to judges and industry leaders.
Awarding Ceremony
Recognition, prizes, and the spotlight for standout teams and projects.
Networking
Connect with fellow builders, mentors, and industry partners who can open real doors.
Community Impact
Your winning build becomes real change, adopted by an underserved community that needs it.
Who's This For?
YOU, Probably.
SparkFest is open to college students from all disciplines — at PUP and other universities. Whether you ship code or sketch ideas, there's a seat for you.
Perfect. SparkFest is built for your first win.
Judges
First Round Judges
Final Round Judges
LR
The Road to Demo Day
June 1 – 18, 2026
Pre-Event Promotions
Follow us, hype it up, and get your squad ready.
June 19, 2026
Registration Opens
Lock in your spot. Free to join — first come, first-served.
June 28, 2026
Kick-Off Program
The starting gun. Briefings, team-ups, and the challenge drop.
July 2, 2026
First Submission Deadline
Your first checkpoint — submit your initial build.
July 3 – 6, 2026
Workshops & Mentorship
Level up with expert-led sessions and 1-on-1 guidance.
July 9, 2026
Pitching, Judging & Awarding
The big day. Pitch, impress, and walk away a winner.
Where & When
Bulwagang Bonifacio,
Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) — Manila
June 28 – July 9, 2026
On-site / In-person
Questions?
We've got you.
College students from all disciplines — at PUP and other universities. Developers, designers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and total first-timers are all welcome.
Nothing. SparkFest 2026 is completely free to join — no registration or participation fees.
Neither is required. You can join solo and we'll help you find a team, and non-coders are essential to every great build — design, strategy, and storytelling all matter.
A working solution to a real-world or community challenge, developed and refined over three weeks with mentor guidance, then pitched to judges.
The hackathon runs June 28 – July 9, 2026 at Bulwagang Bonifacio, PUP Manila, with hybrid pre-events leading up to it.
Sparky's Snap & Frame!
SparkFest 2026 comes with its own digital toolkit so you can show up, show off, and show the world you were there.
Proof you showed up and built something.
The GDG Photobooth is your on-site, no-download, browser-based photo booth that is live at SparkFest 2026. Walk up, snap, and walk away with a snap that actually looks good. No more queue. Just you, your team, and a moment worth keeping.
Show up before you even show up.
Can't wait until July 9 to show your SparkFest energy? Don't. The GDG DP Frame lets you drop a SparkFest 2026 frame on your profile photo right now — self-serve, browser-based, and built to go live in under a minute. Upload. Frame. Post. Let your feed know you're in.
Before the Spark
SparkFest 2026 doesn't begin on Day 1. Two pre-events. Two ways to level up before the hackathon even kicks off.
Sparkpulse: UXpedition
Before you build, you have to understand the user. UXpedition is SparkFest 2026's pre-event workshop built for designers, developers, and anyone who's ever looked at an interface and thought — I could make this better. Walk away with the design thinking that separates good products from great ones.
Sparkpulse: Cumulus
You might be building something that could ship. Cumulus is SparkFest 2026's pre-event session for builders who want to go beyond the prototype. Learn how modern applications are actually built, deployed, and scaled through cloud technologies — real practices, real understanding of the stack.
Inkspire: Shaping Stories, Building Brands, Creating Impact
As the official voice and visual cornerstone of the organization, the GDG Communications Department — together with industry-level speakers — pulls back the curtain on how marketing and creative teams bridge the gap between complex technology and authentic human connection.
TechTimeout: GDG Esports & Sparkrush
Feeling the weight of academic deadlines and organizational stress? TechTimeout is GDG on Campus PUP's recreational and engagement event designed to give you the ultimate break through fun, teamwork, and friendly competition — because sometimes the best debugging happens away from the screen.
“Your idea could be the next big spark.”
Three weeks. One team. A solution that lives on in a real community.
Don't just watch it happen — build it.
