HackElite 1.0

Igniting the Spark for Next-Gen Innovators

HackElite 1.0 was the flagship project of the IEEE WIE Student Branch Affinity Group at the University of Moratuwa for the 2023/24 term, offering an exciting platform for female undergraduates from universities across Sri Lanka to showcase their skills. With over 300 participants and more than 90 teams, the event fostered innovation and collaboration among the brightest minds in the country.

The competition began with an awareness session aimed at inspiring students to register. The session was graced by Ms. Varaki Vakeesan from the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Moratuwa, who shared her career journey and emphasized the importance of competitions in career development.

The first phase of HackElite 1.0 kicked off with an online quiz, testing participants' knowledge in programming, analytical thinking, and technology-related topics. Following this, the second phase of the competition was an Ideathon, where participants submitted innovative proposals across five domains.

To support participants, two workshops were conducted by Dr. K. Maiyuran, Senior Lead Consultant at Virtusa. The first workshop revealed the competition domains and guidelines, while the second provided expert advice on mastering the art of idea pitching, preparing participants for the final round.

Out of 47 teams that advanced from the first phase, 7 teams were selected to qualify for the final event. The grand finale was held on October 14th, 2024, at Virtusa Pvt. Ltd., and featured an Idea Pitching Phase where the top teams presented their ideas to a distinguished panel of judges. The event concluded with the Award Ceremony, where cash prizes and certificates were awarded to the top 3 teams, while all finalists received certificates for their exceptional efforts.

TechTitans from NIBM emerged victorious, claiming the championship title, while SyntaxError404 and CodeBlaze from the University of Moratuwa secured the 1st and 2nd runner-up positions, respectively. The top teams were awarded cash prizes, and all finalists received certificates in recognition of their outstanding achievements. The event celebrated the innovation, hard work, and creativity of all participants, with generous contributions from partners who played a vital role in recognizing the top performers.

HackElite 1.0 was a remarkable journey that nurtured participants’ technical, professional, and soft skills, while creating a thriving community of innovators and future leaders.