Design + Engineering + AI competition
Modern products aren't built by one kind of mind. Tech-Triathlon by Rootcode brings university teams from across the island together to do what real product teams do - carry a single product idea through design, engineering, and AI. It runs in three phases: a Designathon, a Hackathon, and a Datathon. You don't need to be brilliant at all three. You need a team that, between them, is.
01
Designathon
Your team designs a solution to the year's challenge - the product decisions behind it as much as the flows, the interface, and the experience.
Why a triathlon?
Great digital products are never the work of a single discipline. They happen when strong engineering, thoughtful design backed by sharp product decisions, and applied AI come together - and when the people behind them collaborate across all three.
What you're competing for
Internship fast-track
Winners get a fast-tracked pathway to internship opportunities at Rootcode.
Verified certificate
A certificate recognizing your team's achievement in Tech-Triathlon.
Career guidance
Sit down with Rootcode's team leaders for one-to-one career advice.
Website spotlight
Your winning work is featured on this site, with credit to your team.
Guidelines
1.
To participate in the Tech-Triathlon competition, all applicants must be residents of Sri Lanka.
2.
All participants must be currently enrolled undergraduate students at a recognized university. The organizing committee may request documentation to verify enrollment at any point during the competition.
3.
Teams can have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 9 members.
4.
Teams may add or reduce the number of team members during the registration period but must notify the competition organizers in writing of any changes. The new team members must meet the eligibility requirements for the competition. Any changes made after the registration deadline will not be accepted and could lead to disqualification.
5.
The deadlines for submissions will be announced prior to the round, and failure to submit by the deadline will result in point deductions/ disqualification.
6.
All submissions must be original work and cannot have been previously published or exhibited.
7.
The teams will retain the rights to their submissions. However, Rootcode reserves the right to showcase the work of certain teams, while giving credit to the team members.
8.
The finalist teams will be required to present their projects to a panel of judges and an audience.
9.
Any team found to have cheated, plagiarized or violated the rules of the competition will be disqualified.
10.
If your team includes any participants from a previous year's top three winning teams, your team will not be eligible for the competition.
11.
By participating in this competition, teams agree to be bound by these rules and regulations and by the decisions of the judges, which are final and binding in all respects.
Schedule
Haven't registered yet for the competition? Make sure to register early to ensure your entry to the competition. Registrations close at 11:59 PM LKT.
Join the kick-off session led by our very own Rootcoders. We will be conducting an introductory session on how to approach the three challenges of the competition and a few tips that your team might find helpful during the competition!
This year, all three challenges run at once! At 00:01 A.M. LKT, you will receive the full challenge booklet in your email, covering the Designathon, Hackathon, and Datathon. Plan your time across the three phases and submit each one before its deadline.
Kick things off with the design challenge. Work with your team to design the best possible solution and the product decisions behind it according to the guidelines given. Submit your solution before 11:59 P.M. LKT on the 29th of September.
Bring your design to life. Build the software solution based on the Hackathon brief in your booklet. You can submit your solution by 11:59 P.M. LKT on the 4th of October.
Round it off with the data and AI challenge, a use case associated with what you have developed so far, along with the dataset needed for this phase. Submit your solution by 11:59 P.M. LKT on the 9th of October.
The standout teams of the initial phases of the competition will be selected for the semi-finals stage of the competition.
The solutions of the semi-finalist teams will go through further evaluation and technical interviews to make sure that only the very best of the best teams advance to the Grand Finale.
Drum roll please! We will be announcing the finalist teams of the Tech-Triathlon 2026. For everyone that made it to the finals, great job! We will see you at the Grand Finale and Award Ceremony!
This is the moment we have all been waiting for! Now is the time for the finalists to present their solutions, and the winners will be awarded. See you at the grand finale and awards ceremony!
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