Who can participate?+
NessAthon 2026 is open to all Ness Digital Engineering employees — this means everyone: engineers, architects, data scientists, product managers, product owners, business analysts, QA specialists, managers, vibe coders, and any other role. You don't need to be technical to contribute — strong teams mix different skills. This is an internal-only event requiring a valid @ness.com work email to register.
Can I join solo or with fewer than 3 people?+
Teams must be
exactly 3 people. Solo or 2-person entries are not accepted — the challenges are designed to require diverse skills across the team.
Don't have a full team yet? No problem. A dedicated
Microsoft Teams team formation channel will be created where solo participants and partial teams can find each other and connect. In the meantime, reach out directly to
Shivadarshan Deshamudre who can help match you with teammates.
Do all team members need to be in the same office?+
No. Cross-location teams are encouraged. You can mix colleagues from Košice, Pune, Timișoara, or any other Ness office. The build sprint is fully remote-friendly.
Can I change my theme after registering?+
Your initial challenge area and inspiration theme are collected at registration, but nothing is locked until Platform Orientation (24 March). You are also free to bring your own idea within either area — you don't need to pick one of the listed example themes. Reach out to the organiser if you want to discuss your concept before then.
What platform and tools will we build on?+
The hackathon runs on iamneo's NeoCoder platform — each participant gets a dedicated cloud container (2–4 vCPU, 8–16 GB RAM) with 200+ frameworks, pre-configured AI/ML stack (Jupyter, TensorFlow, PyTorch), Git integration, and an in-platform AI assistant called Agent Smith for code suggestions and debugging. A guided walkthrough with a sample case study is provided on 24 March so everyone starts on equal footing.
Is the prize per person or per team?+
The hackathon has 3 overall winners — the three best teams across both challenge areas. 1st place wins $750, 2nd place wins $600, and 3rd place wins $450. How each team splits their prize internally is up to the team members.
Can I be on more than one team?+
No. Each person may register on one team only. The system enforces this by rejecting duplicate @ness.com email addresses across registrations.
What happens after nominations close on 23 March?+
Registered teams receive a confirmation email immediately. The next milestone is Platform Orientation & Meet Your Mentor (24 March) where you get your full challenge briefing, meet the AI platform, and connect with your mentor. Keep an eye on your @ness.com inbox.
Do we need to build everything from scratch?+
No. You're encouraged to use open-source libraries, existing AI models, APIs, and frameworks. What matters is the quality of your solution, the AI depth, and how well it addresses the real enterprise problem. Judging criteria will be shared at Platform Orientation on 24 March.
Will there be support during the build sprint?+
Yes. Each challenge area has a dedicated mentor — you meet them on 24 March. Mentors are available during the build phase for technical guidance, architecture advice, and feedback. Lean on them — that's what they're there for.