FUSE Society Blueprint 2026

Overview

FUSE Society Blueprint 2026 is an online digital hackathon specifically designed for secondary school students. Organized by FUSE Society in partnership with Free Geek, this one-week event challenges participants to develop a digital solution for a real-world business problem. The competition emphasizes analytical rigor, creativity, and commercial judgment over advanced technical skills. Participants aged 14 to 18 are eligible to join. Teams will work collaboratively to identify a business challenge and then design a digital solution to address it. Submissions are evaluated based on the quality of the analysis and the suitability of the proposed solution. A clickable prototype created with a design tool is considered equal to a coded application, making the hackathon accessible to students without prior programming experience. While technical polish is not a primary scoring criterion, a separate Technical Execution bonus of up to 10 points is available for teams that submit a functioning technical build. This bonus is additional to the core criteria and will not be used to resolve ties. All participating teams will receive written feedback from the judging panel, providing valuable insights for their future endeavors. The hackathon culminates with each team submitting their solution, accompanied by a recorded presentation explaining their work. The grand prize for the winning team is $250 in cash. This event aims to foster problem-solving skills and introduce students to the process of developing digital solutions in a real-world context.

What to build

Participants must identify a business challenge facing a real company and design a digital solution to address it. The solution should demonstrate analytical rigor, creativity, and commercial judgment. A clickable prototype produced in a design tool is scored on equal terms with a coded application, though a Technical Execution bonus is available for functioning technical builds.

Prizes

Key dates

• Case Dropping2026-10-24 09:00 EST
• Deadline2026-10-31 00:00 EDT

Submission requirements

• A complete submission consists of three components, all due by the Day 7 deadline.
• Devpost Project Page: Each team must publish a project page stating the problem identified, the proposed solution, an implementation outline (cost and timeline), and team members' names. The solution artifact must be attached or linked, and the page must be published (not a draft).
• Recorded Presentation: Each team must record a presentation of no more than 8 minutes explaining the solution and reasoning. Each team member should appear or speak if practical. The recording must be uploaded to YouTube with visibility set to Unlisted.
• Official Submission Form: This form formally enters a team into the competition and requires the team name; names, ages, schools, and countries of all members; a team contact email; the Devpost project link; the YouTube presentation link; an artificial intelligence usage disclosure; and confirmation of acceptance of rules. Teams may resubmit the form before the deadline; the most recent entry will be treated as final.

Judging criteria

• Quality of the analysis
• Suitability of the proposed solution
• A clickable prototype produced in a design tool is scored on equal terms with a coded application.
• A separate Technical Execution bonus of up to 10 points is available for functioning technical builds. This bonus is additional to core criteria, capped at 10 points out of a possible 100, and is never used to resolve a tie.

Sponsors & partners

Resources

• Judging Criteria