A team of students from iACADEMY has secured a place in the Regional Top 40 of the ASEAN AI Hackathon 2026, a prestigious competition that gathers young innovators across Southeast Asia to develop impactful artificial intelligence solutions for real-world challenges.
Representing iACADEMY under Team GAME CHANGERS are Maria Alijandra Bello (Team Leader, 3rd Year), John Victorio Chua (4th Year), Takuya Nakasone (4th Year), Jacob Tarun (4th Year), and Gilbuen Mendoza (4th Year).
Competing against participants from more than 100 universities across nine ASEAN nations, the team successfully advanced through the preliminary screening phase and earned a spot among the region’s top-performing entries.
Organized by Passage to ASEAN (P2A) in partnership with the ASEAN AI Council (AAIC), the competition carries the theme “AI for a Resilient ASEAN: Innovation, Sustainability, and Humanity.”
The hackathon promotes responsible innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and technology-driven solutions that address pressing regional concerns.
“Advancing to the ASEAN AI Hackathon 2026 Regional Top 40 is a testament to what young innovators can achieve when creativity, technology, and purpose come together,” said Bennett Tanyag, iACADEMY’s Chairperson for Information Technology.
“We are proud to represent iACADEMY and the Philippines on a regional stage while developing solutions that can create meaningful impact across ASEAN,” Tanyag added.
The ASEAN AI Hackathon evaluates projects based on innovation, technical execution, impact and feasibility, and presentation quality.
The competition features challenge tracks focused on climate resilience, public health, smart cities, and AI in education.
As a Regional Top 40 finalist, Team GAME CHANGERS will proceed to the next stages of the competition, with finalists given the opportunity to advance to the Grand Finale in Da Nang, Vietnam.
This achievement reflects iACADEMY’s commitment to developing globally competitive innovators who leverage emerging technologies to create meaningful solutions for society, embodying the institution’s mission of producing Game Changers ready to make an impact beyond borders.
