Codex Community Hackathon Kuala Lumpur 2026
Malaysia has real problems worth solving. Codex gives builders a faster way to turn local insight into working products.
Codex Community Hackathon Kuala Lumpur 2026 is a community-led AI build sprint for students, founders, engineers, designers, researchers, operators, and domain experts who want to build practical AI products for Malaysia.
Theme: Raising the Floor: AI for Malaysia Boleh 🇲🇾
This hackathon is about building useful AI-enabled tools that improve everyday systems for Malaysians - from public services and education to MSMEs, healthcare, accessibility, sustainability, tourism, and community well-being.
Participants will use AI coding tools, including Codex, to accelerate product development and turn Malaysian problems into working demos for real users.
What we are looking for: • Practical AI products, not just ideas • Clear Malaysian users and workflows • Responsible and inclusive AI use • Working demos that can be tested, understood, and continued after the hackathon • Solutions that help raise access, productivity, and resilience for Malaysians
Possible build tracks: • Public Services & Civic Access • MSMEs, Finance & Productivity • Education & AI Literacy • Healthcare & Well-being • Tourism, Culture & Local Economy • Sustainability & Climate Resilience • Accessibility & Multilingual Malaysia • Future of Work & Skills • Community Safety & Trust • Open Track
Who should join: Solo applicants, partial teams, and complete teams are welcome. We encourage applications from students, founders, designers, engineers, researchers, operators, product thinkers, educators, community builders, and domain experts.
You do not need to arrive with a complete team. Organizers will help participants form balanced teams during the online preparation round.
Format: • Online preparation round • In-person build and demo day at Sunway University, KL • Mentor check-ins • Final demos • Judging and prize ceremony
Event details: Date: 11–18 July 2026 Venue: Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur Cohort: Up to 150 selected participants Organizer: Codex Community Malaysia Featuring: shiels.ai, AI.SEA & Sunway University
Prizes: • 1st Place: USD 15,000 in Codex credits • 2nd Place: USD 10,000 in Codex credits • 3rd Place: USD 5,000 in Codex credits • Top 5 teams: one year of ChatGPT Pro for all members
Judging criteria: • Clarity of Malaysian problem and user • Usefulness of working demo • Product design and user workflow • Responsible AI implementation • Technical execution with Codex • Marketability and continuation potential • Final presentation quality
This is a community-led event. References to Codex or AI tools do not imply third-party sponsorship, endorsement, or official status unless confirmed in writing.
Register your interest to build, mentor, volunteer, judge, sponsor, or partner with the community.