Global Competition PolyHack 2023 Concludes with Outstanding Innovations and Collaboration

PolyHack 2023, a global student-led hackathon and ideathon competition jointly organised by PolyHack, Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office (KTEO) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), successfully concluded on 24 June. The 2-week competition brought together more than 700 talented individuals from over 80 regions, fostering innovation, collaboration, and technological advancements on an international scale. The competition served as a platform for talented individuals to harness their creativity and technical prowess, focusing on the domains of artificial intelligence (AI), financial technology (FinTech), smart city, and Internet of things (IoT).

PolyHack is a competition initiated and organised by a group of PolyU students in 2022. Organised as a hybrid event, participants can choose to join online or physically in Hong Kong. PolyHack invites all students, regardless of major and discipline, to join the event individually or form a team with complementary skills to create a well-rounded project. The event features an inspiring series of talks by industry leaders, where esteemed professionals shared their insights on emerging tech trends and opportunities. Workshops and mentorship sessions further enriched the participants' knowledge and skillsets, equipping them with the necessary tools to tackle complex challenges and refine their project concepts.

Mr JaeYoun KIM, Lead, PolyHack 2023, said, “PolyHack is made for the students by the students. With the experience of joining different competitions, we wanted to create a rewarding and playful journey for our global student community, fostering true collaboration, networking, and inclusivity. This will not be possible without the support of PolyU KTEO and HKSTP. Not to mention the generous sponsorship from our diamond sponsors Chinachem Group and Huawei, platinum sponsors Deloitte Digital and ServiceNow, and silver sponsor RS Grassroots. We are excited for all the innovation seen in this competition, and we look forward to being back with a bigger and better PolyHack 2024 with the support from our sponsors and partners next year.”

Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation), PolyU, said, “PolyU takes great pride in fostering an ecosystem that encourages entrepreneurship, innovation, and research from students to graduates, alumni, teachers, researchers, and our staff members. PolyHack is a very good example. It has brought together bright minds from high schools and universities worldwide, focusing on three vital domains this year – artificial intelligence, financial technology, and smart city. These themes embody the important elements of our rapidly evolving world, where innovation is the key to addressing the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. As we witness the remarkable ideas and projects that have emerged from PolyHack 2023, I am filled with hope and excitement to the future. Our young innovators embraced the spirit of enquiry, collaboration, and critical thinking. They have harnessed their diverse backgrounds, skills, and perspectives to propose solutions that have potential to shape the world we live in, to make an impact on our world and society.”

Mr Raymond CHU, Associate Director of University Collaborations, HKSTP, said, “HKSTP endeavours to catalyse the growth of local technology start-ups and support universities at the upper stream of the innovation and technology ecosystem value chain to transfer technology and translate academic research into commercialised products. We congratulate all the winners and participants of PolyHack 2023, which aims to foster a new generation of talents with cross-disciplinary expertise, and from over 80 regions. These young and aspiring innovators hold the future in their hands and we're excited to see how they will chart society's progress and power new growth for Hong Kong and other cities worldwide.”

The competition follows a three-phase competition structure, namely Qualifiers, Ideation & Implementation, and Final Pitching. To qualify, participants must complete at least one of the Capture The Flags-like puzzles and challenges. In the main competition, individuals or teams are asked to submit their project proposals that tackle the problem statement of the chosen domain. Through a rigorous evaluation process, a select group of participants are then advanced to the Implementation Phase, where a technical prototype is submitted. For finalists, they are required to pitch and showcase the solutions developed during the competition.

The judging panel, comprised of experts from industry and academia, evaluated the projects according to the triple-line judging system, encompassing technical excellence, business viability, and innovation. The winners of PolyHack 2023 were selected based on their exceptional performance and groundbreaking solutions. The distinguished winners of PolyHack 2023 are as follows:

• First Place: ALGA

• Second Place: Birru

• Third Place: GoPark

Special recognition was also given to outstanding teams and individuals in specific categories:

• Best AI Award: ALGA

• Best Fintech Award: FlexiChange

• Best IoT Award: Birru

• Entrepreneurship Award: Aquila

• Best Deloitte Digital Award: ALGA

• Best ServiceNow Award: Tech Dragon

• Best Chinachem Group Award: Visionerse

• Best Huawei Award: The Great Wave in Kanagawa

• Best GIS Award: GoPark, Eastern Spice, JoePickTeam, hellowhat

• Top Qualifiers Phase Award: Yijun Gu

The Merit Awards were presented to the following teams for their commendable contributions, in alphabetical order:

• Banh Giò

• BreathEZ

• Crusaders

• Curltai

• CyberHealthy

• DeezNuclearLamas

• Demiurges

• Dev Beans

• FUN

• Lone warrior

• MKPA

• nameless

• RiseUpSquad

• SEntralians

• Sleepless

• Unhackable

• Utshob

PolyHack, PolyU, and HKSTP extend their appreciation to all participants for their remarkable efforts and contributions. The organisers would also like to acknowledge the support of various stakeholders who played a crucial role in making PolyHack 2023 a resounding success. For more information, please visit the PolyHack website (PolyHack2023.com).

About PolyHack

Driven by a shared passion for innovation and a commitment to fostering a dynamic learning environment, the PolyHack committee stands at the forefront of organizing the remarkable PolyHack event. Led by JaeYoun Kim (Lead), Romeo Ng (External Vice-Lead), Sollal Fouilland (Internal Vice-Lead), and Matthew Kong (Technical Vice-Lead), the committee is comprised of a diverse group of talented students from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University with majors in computer science, mechanical engineering, business, and design. With a collective vision to inspire creativity, collaboration, diversity, and technological advancement, we work tirelessly to curate an unparalleled experience for participants. As avid problem solvers and forward-thinkers ourselves, we understand the aspirations and challenges faced by fellow students, ensuring that every aspect of PolyHack is meticulously crafted to provide an empowering platform for innovation, networking, and personal growth. Together, we strive to create an atmosphere where budding talents can unleash their full potential and shape the future of technology.

About The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) aspires to be an innovative world-class university with a strong sense of social responsibility, driven by its motto, “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind”. The University provides the best holistic education to nurture socially responsible “leaders of tomorrow” who possess a strong sense of national identity and a global perspective, and pursues impactful innovation and interdisciplinary research to address the world’s most pressing challenges. A robust culture of knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship is a cornerstone of the University, ensuring PolyU’s technologies are transformed into practical real-world applications. The University's unwavering commitment to excellence has earned it international recognition, with PolyU consistently ranking among the top 100 universities worldwide. Based on this solid foundation, the University will continue to make positive contributions in collaboration with its strategic partners for the betterment of Hong Kong, the Nation, and the world.

About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP)

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has for over 20 years committed to building up Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub to propel success for local and global pioneers today and tomorrow. HKSTP has established a thriving I&T ecosystem that supported over 10 unicorns and Hong Kong’s leading R&D hub with nearly 13,000 research professionals and over 1,300 technology companies focused on healthtech, AI and robotics, fintech and smart city technologies.

Established in 2001, we attract and nurture talent, accelerate and commercialise innovation and technology for entrepreneurs on their journey of growth in Hong Kong, to the Greater Bay Area, Asia and beyond. Our growing innovation ecosystem is built around our key locations of Hong Kong Science Park in Shatin, InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong and three modern InnoParks in Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. The three InnoParks are realising a vision of new industrialisation for Hong Kong. The goal is sectors like advanced manufacturing, electronics and biotechnology are being reimagined for a new generation of industry.

Through our infrastructure, services, expertise and network of partnerships, HKSTP will help establish innovation and technology as a pillar of growth for Hong Kong, while reinforcing Hong Kong’s international I&T hub status as a launchpad for global growth at the heart of the GBA innovation powerhouse.

More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.

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