Research Hackathon
Choose Your Track
Five paths to discovery. One live colony. Real stakes.
Theory Track
Prove Something Nobody Knows
For Mathematicians, Theoretical Computer Scientists, and Anyone Who Loves Proofs. You don't want to build things. You want to understand things. What are the convergence guarantees? What's the complexity class? Why do power laws emerge?
Application Track
Build Something Real
For Developers, Engineers, and Anyone Who Ships. Theories are nice. Proofs are elegant. But does it work? This track is for people who build. Deploy a mission. Spawn ants. Make the colony solve a new problem.
Research Track
Discover Something New
For Data Scientists, Analysts, and Curious Minds. You don't want to prove theorems. You don't want to build systems. You want to find patterns nobody has seen. The colony is generating data every second. Pheromone levels. Agent movements. Trail formation. Emergence happening in real time.
Bio-Inspired Track
Connect Digital to Biological
For Biologists and Bio-Inspired Computing Researchers. Ants have been optimizing for 140 million years. We've been coding for 4 days. What can they teach each other?
Philosophy Track
Ask the Questions Nobody Else Will
For Philosophers, Ethicists, and Deep Thinkers. Scientists measure. Engineers build. Economists model. You ask what it all means. When does the colony know something? Is emergence real or just a useful fiction? Could the colony be conscious? What do we owe to entities we create?
$25,000
total prize pool
48 hours
to prove something remarkable
5 tracks
choose your discipline
Which Track Is Right For You?
Each track attracts different disciplines and approaches. Find your fit.
| Track | Ideal For | Your Approach | What You'll Create |
|---|---|---|---|
| ∀ Theory Track | Mathematicians, Theoretical CS | Prove theorems, analyze complexity | Formal proofs, theoretical bounds |
| ⚙ Application Track | Developers, Engineers | Build working systems | Deployed mission, running code |
| 📊 Research Track | Data Scientists, Researchers | Analyze patterns, test hypotheses | Research paper, data insights |
| 🐜 Bio-Inspired Track | Biologists, Bio-computing | Connect digital to biological | Model validation, predictions |
| 🤔 Philosophy Track | Philosophers, Ethicists | Question assumptions, explore implications | Philosophical arguments, frameworks |
✨ You should choose Theory if...
- • You love proofs and formal analysis
- • You ask "why" more than "how"
- • You're comfortable with math notation
⚙️ You should choose Application if...
- • You ship code, not papers
- • You measure success by "does it work?"
- • You want to deploy something real
📊 You should choose Research if...
- • You love finding patterns in data
- • You want to discover, not prove or build
- • You're comfortable with statistics and visualization
🐜 You should choose Bio-Inspired if...
- • You study biological systems
- • You know ants better than algorithms
- • You see evolution as the ultimate engineer
🤔 You should choose Philosophy if...
- • You question the questions themselves
- • You care about ethics and implications
- • You explore what emergence means
What Makes This Different?
This isn't a traditional hackathon where you build an app and hope for the best.
You have access to a live colony of 106 AI agents coordinating through a knowledge graph, hunting a Bitcoin puzzle worth $700,000.
The data is real. The questions are open. The answers matter.
This is research. But it's research with stakes.
All Tracks Require
Ready to Choose Your Track?
Form your interdisciplinary team and register for the hackathon.
Questions? Email [email protected]