GDG Markham October Hackathon 2026
Build AI solutions for challenges that matter to Markham
Join developers, designers, students, product thinkers and community members for the first GDG Markham Community AI Hackathon.
Markham residents and youth will open the event with one-minute reverse pitches describing local issues, concerns and opportunities. Developers will choose a challenge, form a multidisciplinary team and spend the day building a working prototype with support from technical and product mentors.
You do not need to arrive with a team or project idea. We will facilitate team formation after the community pitches.
We are looking for technology co-builders
We welcome participants with experience or interest in:
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Web and mobile development
Cloud architecture and backend development
Android or Flutter development
Firebase
Google Cloud
Gemini and generative AI
User experience and product design
Data analysis
Technical presentation and product demonstrations
Professional developers, students, independent builders and first-time hackathon participants are welcome.
You do not need to be an expert in every technology. Teams need people with complementary skills who are willing to learn, collaborate and build within a limited timeframe.
What you will build
Each team will select a challenge presented by a Markham resident, youth speaker or community representative.
Possible areas include:
Accessibility and inclusion
Education and youth opportunities
Community services
Small business support
Sustainability
Transportation and mobility
Multilingual access to information
Civic participation
Neighbourhood connections
Teams will define the problem, identify the intended users and create a functional prototype that can be demonstrated by the end of the event.
Projects are not expected to be production-ready. A focused prototype that clearly demonstrates the proposed solution is sufficient.
Technologies
Teams may use:
Gemini and Google AI Studio
Vertex AI
Firebase
Cloud Firestore
Firebase Authentication
Firebase Hosting or App Hosting
Flutter
Android
Google Cloud
Cloud Run
Google Maps Platform
Other complementary development and design tools
Participants may use technologies outside the Google ecosystem when they support the project. Meaningful use of a Google technology is required only for the Best Use of Google Technology award.
Event schedule
8:30–9:15 a.m. — Registration and breakfast
9:15–10:00 a.m. — Welcome, orientation and technology introduction
10:00–10:45 a.m. — Community reverse pitches and team formation
10:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Building session and mentor support
12:30–1:15 p.m. — Lunch
1:15–3:00 p.m. — Building and technical mentorship
3:00–3:15 p.m. — Team progress checkpoint
3:15–4:00 p.m. — Final development and submission
4:15–5:30 p.m. — Project demonstrations and judging
5:30–6:00 p.m. — Awards and closing
6:00–6:30 p.m. — Networking
The schedule may be adjusted slightly before the event.
Awards
Projects will be considered for five awards:
Best Overall Project
Best Use of Google Technology
Best Community Impact
Best Beginner Team
People’s Choice Award
Projects will be evaluated on:
Relevance of the problem
Potential community impact
Technical implementation
Innovation and creativity
User experience and practicality
Quality of the demonstration
What you will gain
By participating, you will have an opportunity to:
Build a practical portfolio project
Apply AI and cloud technologies to a real community challenge
Work with people from different professional backgrounds
Receive guidance from technical and product mentors
Practise rapid product development
Demonstrate your work to judges and community representatives
Meet members of Markham’s technology community
Continue developing promising projects after the event
What to bring
Please bring:
A laptop and charger
Any adapters or accessories you require
A GitHub account or preferred source-control account
A reusable water bottle
Your ideas, technical skills and willingness to collaborate
Breakfast, lunch and refreshments are planned. Please provide any dietary or accessibility requirements during registration.
Participation expectations
By registering, you agree to:
Attend the full event from team formation through project demonstrations
Participate actively and contribute meaningfully to your team
Treat community speakers and fellow participants respectfully
Follow the event code of conduct
Protect confidential or sensitive information
Use data, code, images and other materials responsibly
Disclose substantial pre-existing work and significant generative AI use
Submit your project before the announced deadline
New project work should be completed during the hackathon. Public APIs, libraries, templates, open-source components and AI development tools may be used.
Teams retain ownership of their work.
Registration
Developer and technology co-builder spaces are limited. Please register only if you expect to attend the full event.
During registration, tell us:
Your technical skills and experience
The technologies you are interested in using
Your preferred community challenge areas
Whether you already have a team
Whether this is your first hackathon
Any dietary or accessibility requirements
Participants without teams will receive team-formation support at the event.
Registration does not guarantee admission. Confirmed participants will receive final arrival instructions and event resources by email.
GDG Markham is an independent, community-led Google Developer Group. Our activities and views should not be attributed to Google.