The IEEE NSU Student Branch successfully hosted the “Future Builders: AI-Driven Cognitive Innovation Hackathon” on December 28, 2025, Powered by Tanvir Constructions Ltd., with TCL Informatix Ltd. as the Technology Partner. The intense Round 02 on-site hackathon of the event featured the top 20 teams from Round 01 competing in an 8-hour marathon for a coveted spot in the final round.

The event commenced with a participant breakfast at 8:00 AM, which helped set an energetic tone for the day. By 8:30 AM, the competition officially began following a comprehensive briefing on the rules. The main problem statements were revealed, marking the official beginning of the challenge. Throughout the day, essential breaks, including a coffee break and a lunch break from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM, provided teams with opportunities to recharge and refocus. The intense development phase reached its peak with a code freeze at 4:30 PM, after which the judging process started.

The evaluation process used both online expertise and in-person visits. A panel of judges, including Shaikh Tariqul Islam from the Bangladesh Cyber Institute, Umnoon Binta Ali from Astha.IT and Shahrukh Ikhtear from Optimizely carefully reviewed the submissions online. To support this assessment, Saif Ahmed, an Adjunct Lecturer at North South University, visited each team in person. He had detailed discussions with them, focusing on their technical designs and the real-world effects of their AI-driven solutions. After the evaluations, the announcement was made regarding the Top 5 Winning Teams that will move on to Round 03, which were NerdHerd, IUT_CGPA_Doesn’t_Matter, NSU_MissionX, NSU-Zazabores, and NSU_BUET_AIUB.exe. These teams will present their refined projects at the grand finale during SPAC 25, one of the university's flagship events, to which all hackathon participants were invited.

On the second day of the competition, the top five winning teams competed for the championship title and a share of the 100,000 BDT prize pool. First, NSU_MissionX presented their app, Shastho Bondhu, followed by IUT_CGPA_Doesn’t_Matter with their app, HealthX, and NSU-Zazabores, which showcased their Health Assistant app. Lastly, NerdHerd and NSU_BUET_AIUB also presented their apps. 

After each presentation, the judges asked questions. The respected judges of the final round were  Mohammad Shafayet Hossain, Lecturer of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North South University, and Co-advisor of the IEEE NSU Power and Energy Society Student Branch Chapter; Shaikh Tariqul Islam, Founder & CEO of Bangladesh Cyber Institute, and Cyber Security Specialist & Trainer; Umnoon Binta Ali, AI Engineer III at Astha.IT. 

After careful evaluation, NSU_MissionX claimed first place, IUT_CGPA_Doesn’t_Matter secured the first runner-up position, and NerdHerd took home the second runner-up award. The event concluded with a group photo of all the winning teams. The competition served the purpose of showcasing student innovation and AI-driven problem-solving skills while fostering collaboration and real-world application.