The Digital Abbot Global Hackathon
One paper, two halves: code that has to run, and clauses that have to be read correctly. An open worldwide call — published problems, marked feedback, named organisers — because the people who can do this work are spread far more evenly across the world than the chances to prove it are.
2 internships, and a cohort that continues
The top 2 are offered internships in the work we actually do — digital twins, regulatory automation, and the AI that reads a drawing before anyone writes code against it. Stipend, duration and terms are set out in the written offer. Everything else about the prize is published to every registrant, whatever their result, by 31 August 2026.
Half one — code that runs
Problems with hidden tests, judged on whether they work rather than on whether they look like the answer. Bring whatever language you are fastest in.
Half two — specification reading
Given a clause, decide what it actually requires versus what it appears to. This is most of the job on a compliance product and almost nobody tests for it.
Why it is run in the open
A digital-twin platform fails in two ways: software that does not run, and software that runs confidently on a misunderstanding. The paper is built to catch both.
The schedule, in Gulf and India time
The contest runs on 29 August 2026. The window opens at 10:00 GST (11:30 IST) and stays open 5 hours; begin whenever suits you inside it. The paper itself takes 1 hour 30 minutes once you start.
| What | When | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Applications close | 25 August 2026, 23:59 GST — that is 01:29 IST on 26 August 2026 | You have all of the 25th in Gulf time. The form stops accepting entries after this. |
| Test link issued | 28 August 2026 | Sent to the email you registered with, the day before the contest. |
| Contest day | 29 August 2026 | One day only. There is no second sitting. |
| Window opens | 10:00 GST (11:30 IST) | The earliest you may begin. |
| Window closes | 15:00 GST (16:30 IST) | The window is 5 hours long. Begin any time inside it. |
| Latest start for the full paper | 13:30 GST (15:00 IST) | Begin after this and you get the time remaining to 15:00 GST, not the full 1 hour 30 minutes. |
| Time allowed once begun | 1 hour 30 minutes | The clock starts when you open the paper and does not pause. |
| Prize detail published | by 31 August 2026 | Announced to every registrant, whatever their result. |
The sitting is proctored end to end
Said here rather than left in the rule book, because it is the part most likely to change somebody's mind and it should change it before they fill in a form, not after.
- Continuous video and audio for the whole sitting, with your face visible throughout.
- One government photo ID, checked at the start against the name you registered with.
- Your screen is recorded. Leaving the paper — another tab, another window, another app — is logged.
- No second person in the room, no second screen, no phone within reach.
- A live focus counter is shown to you during the paper, so you always know what has been recorded.
All of it is written down: 140 clauses, 36 of which can end a sitting, plus what is recorded, how long it is kept and how to have a finding heard. Read the rules in full (revision 1.0). Applying means agreeing to them.
Applications close 25 August 2026
The form takes a few minutes. A CV is optional — not having one costs you nothing.