Building Our Future in AI: The Latin@ Summit - Halloween Edition
Virtual kickoff on Zoom + hybrid final showcase at OCAD University
Building Our Future in AI: The Latin@ Vibe Coding Hackathon — Halloween Edition brings together Latinos, allies, students, professionals, creators, technologists, community leaders and curious learners to explore what it means for our communities to not only be impacted by AI — but to help shape what comes next.
This is a hybrid experience. You can participate in Toronto, join virtually from anywhere in the world, or even build a team that combines in-person and remote members.
You do not need to be a software engineer. Teams can bring together people with experience in design, research, storytelling, community work, entrepreneurship, technology, strategy and more.
Together, we’ll use AI-assisted tools to turn ideas and community challenges into prototypes — and then bring those ideas to the October 31 final showcase.
How the hackathon works
1. Virtual Kickoff — Monday, October 26
6:30 PM–10:00 PM ET | Zoom
Hackathon participants begin together online with:
Team coordination and orientation
Submission guidelines and deadlines
Vibe-coding platform workshop
Responsible & ethical AI workshop
Q&A and next steps
Launch of the event Discord community
All hackathon participants are strongly encouraged to attend. At minimum, one representative from every team must participate in the kickoff.
2. Build Period — October 26–29
Teams work remotely during the week to develop their prototype and presentation.
Teams may be:
fully in person,
fully virtual, or
a mix of in-person and remote members.
Each team will submit:
a shareable project/prototype link, and
a 5–6 slide Canva presentation
by Thursday, October 29 at 11:59 PM ET.
3. Hybrid Summit & Final Showcase — Saturday, October 31
9:30 AM–5:00 PM ET
OCAD Rosalie Sharp Pavilion
115 McCaul St, Toronto, ON
Join us in Toronto or virtually for a full day of community, ideas and AI experimentation.
What to expect
Networking + community expo tables
Latinos Shaping the Future of AI — Representation, Opportunity & Community Voice
Up to 14 team pitches and live demos
CalidrisHub unveiling — introducing a new 12–16 week pathway supporting Latino entrepreneurs and community members beyond the hackathon
Awards for the Top 3 projects
A special Best Team Costume award
Closing community celebration, group photo and next steps
Halloween Edition
Yes — October 31 means we’re adding a little Halloween spirit.
Hackathon teams are encouraged to coordinate a team costume and bring that creativity into their pitch. Costumes will be considered for a separate Best Team Costume Award.
The costume prize is separate from the Top 3 project awards — so build something meaningful, tell a great story, and have some fun with it.
About the panel
Latinos Shaping the Future of AI — Representation, Opportunity & Community Voice
A forward-looking conversation with Latino practitioners, leaders and community voices about how our communities can move from primarily being affected by AI to actively participating in shaping it.
We’ll explore representation, emerging opportunities, responsible participation, entrepreneurship, community voice and the role Latinos can play as builders, researchers, leaders, critics and governance actors.
Who is this for?
This gathering is for Latinos and allies from anywhere in the world who are interested in AI, technology, entrepreneurship, digital equity, community impact and responsible innovation.
That includes students, early-career professionals, designers, researchers, developers, founders, community leaders, educators, partners — and people who are simply curious and ready to learn.
You do not need coding experience to participate in the hackathon.
Pricing & access
Choose the ticket that best matches how you want to participate.
We use a sliding-scale model for most tickets to help cover food, hospitality and event costs while keeping participation accessible.
If cost is a barrier, please contact us. We want people who genuinely want to participate to be able to join.
The primary language of the event is English.