DSU, Wildfire Labs to host fall Ignite Hackathon Nov. 13-15
October 14, 2026
MADISON, S.D. — Dakota State University and Wildfire Labs will bring the Ignite Hackathon back to campus Nov. 13–15, 2026, giving students, entrepreneurs, and community members a chance to turn real-world ideas into working products over one collaborative weekend.
Held at The Beacom Institute of Technology and powered by OpenAI Academy, the free event will introduce participants to AI-powered development tools that let them create functional software by describing what they want the technology to do. No previous coding experience is required, and meals will be provided throughout the weekend.
The Ignite Hackathon is sponsored by the Governor’s Research Center (SD ARMOR – Advanced Research in Materials, Operations, and Resilience) and the Paulson Center.
“The Ignite Hackathon gives our students and community members an opportunity to experience how artificial intelligence is changing the process of innovation,” said Dr. Mary Bell, dean of The Beacom College of Computer & Cyber Sciences. “Participants do not need to arrive as experienced programmers. They need curiosity, a willingness to collaborate, and an idea or skill they can contribute to a team. In one weekend, they can see how quickly an idea can become something tangible.”
DSU undergraduate and graduate students from any major or skill level, founders, and community members are encouraged to participate. Organizers are seeking individuals with a variety of abilities, including technical development, business, marketing, and design.
Registrants may bring an idea they would like to develop or ask organizers to place them on a team. DSU and Wildfire Labs will select approximately 20 ideas for the competition, and teams of three to four participants will form around the selected projects. Organizers will keep pre-formed groups together, but every participant must register individually.
Teams will use AI tools, including ChatGPT Work, to develop a working proof of concept or functional prototype. Participants will then present their completed projects to a panel of judges on Sunday.
Projects will be evaluated based on technical execution and functionality, problem clarity and solution fit, market viability and financial logic, impact and growth potential, and presentation and professionalism. The first-place team will receive $1,000, the second-place team $ 500, and the third-place team $250. Winners will also be named in the categories “Most Innovative” and “Most Ambitious.”
The fall competition follows the DSU Wildfire Ignite Hackathon held in April. That event brought together students, founders, and community members to build AI-powered applications through rapid prototyping and teamwork. Organizers plan to continue offering the event each semester to expand opportunities for experiential learning, entrepreneurship, and collaboration.
The November hackathon has space for 70-75 participants. Priority registration for members of the DSU community closes Oct. 18, and open registration closes Nov. 1. Once capacity is reached, additional applicants will be added to a waitlist.
To learn more, submit an idea, or register as a participant, visit the event homepage.
The fun and research can continue after the hackathon through DSU and Wildfire Labs.
"The hackathon is designed to be a starting point, not a finish line,” said Tom Olson, operations/product manager at Wildfire Labs. “Teams that want to keep building after the weekend will have the opportunity to continue developing their ideas with support from DSU and Wildfire Labs."
Teams interested in continuing to develop their solutions can connect with programs such as NSF I-Corps and Wildfire Labs, where they can continue customer discovery, refine their business model, and explore pathways toward commercialization.
“The Ignite Hackathon gives students a chance to move beyond ideas and actually build, test, and refine solutions as a team,” said Dr. Andy Behrens, assistant professor of Information Systems at DSU. “What makes the event special is the energy that comes from bringing different disciplines together and giving students the space to create something meaningful in a very short amount of time.”