ABB Hackathon — My Experience

Hello!

Event Overview#

The ABB Hackathon is an idea and development hackathon organized by Daegu Metropolitan City and sponsored by several organizations. The overarching theme was "projects for Daegu Metropolitan City." Participants could choose one of two technology tracks — AI/Big Data or Blockchain — and compete in either the Ideathon (planning) or the Makerthon (development) format.

In total, prizes were awarded across four categories.

ABB = AI, Blockchain, BigData

The Mayor of Daegu even showed up for the opening ceremony...

The process started with a preliminary round where planning proposals were submitted to select finalists, and the main event was held at EXCO — Daegu's equivalent of COEX — where the hackathon took place.

This was the very first time this competition was held. The main event felt a bit disorganized, but you could tell the hackathon itself was backed by substantial support.

What made it feel chaotic was the timeline: the preliminary submission deadline was midnight on Monday, finalists were announced around midnight on Tuesday, and everyone who made it through was summoned to Daegu by 10 AM on Thursday.

Support & Perks#

I went in without high expectations, but the organizers completely exceeded them — massive workspace, technical mentoring, thoughtful event management, and all meals provided.

Here's a glimpse of some of the food:

And this was just the food from the first day alone.

Side Notes#

• Technical mentors were available long after business hours, practically on-site to field questions.
  (Since I was in the planning track, I didn't rely on technical mentoring much. From what I could tell, AI track participants got GCP server support, and blockchain participants got access to public blockchain servers — and the mentors seemed to be genuine domain experts.)

• Due to security restrictions, leaving the venue building wasn't allowed. But the organizing team escorted smokers to the designated smoking area every 30 minutes.

• The welcome kit was solid: a sweatshirt, a reusable tumbler, wireless earbuds (AirPods-style), a wireless phone charger, stationery, and more.

There was also a dedicated rest area where you could take a break when you got tired from working.

Since I entered the Ideathon (planning track), our presentations wrapped up earlier in the schedule than the Makerthon (development track). After our presentation, I comfortably passed out got some solid sleep until the final rankings were announced.

Results#

Our team identified a real conflict around transportation policy in Daegu Metropolitan City and designed a solution to address it. We ended up winning the Grand Prize (Kyungpook National University President's Award) in the AI/Big Data Ideathon track.

More than anything, the incredible meal support made this competition feel like a godsend for someone living alone.

Please keep putting on great competitions like this! :)