April 13–17, 2026
Wharton Hack-AI-thon
Presented by
In this year’s Hack-AI-thon, student teams will build an innovative AI tool to create and enhance travel reviews with dynamic input.
The Wharton Hack-AI-thon, presented by Expedia Group, is a dynamic, co-curricular program where students come together to explore the power of artificial intelligence through hands-on innovation.
This groundbreaking event welcomes students of all skill levels to explore and innovate with AI. Whether you’re an AI novice or a seasoned tech enthusiast, this is your chance to develop practical solutions, learn from experts, and make your mark in the rapidly evolving field of AI technology.
Register as a team and bring a mix of talents and perspectives! Our workshops and mentors will provide the guidance you need to be successful in this event.
Important Dates
Reasons to Participate
Thank You to Our Presenting Sponsor!
Expedia Group helps travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. As travelers and technologists, we are passionate about making travel more seamless, accessible, and memorable. Our diverse, vibrant, and welcoming community is at the heart of our success. We embrace different perspectives, celebrate new ideas, and empower every Expedian to drive meaningful change.
How it Works
Who Is Eligible?
University of Pennsylvania students enrolled in Wharton or any other school, at any academic level (Undergraduate, Masters, and PhD) are eligible to participate. No prior AI experience is required, but having at least one team member with coding experience is recommended.
Register
Each team will have 3-5 students currently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, one of whom is the Team Leader. Team Leaders are responsible for completing their team’s registration and submitting Hack-AI-thon materials should they be accepted into the competition. There will be a maximum of 60 teams. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Attend the Kick-Off Event on April 13
Accepted teams should be ready to learn more about the 2026 Hack-AI-thon program and prompt at our Virtual Kick-Off Event on April 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET. At least one team member must be present from each team to participate. During the event, teams will receive:
- Instructions for this year’s challenge, including background information from Expedia Group
- Judging criteria and challenge submission requirements
- Resources, documentation, and information about technical tools and best practices
- Access to the Wharton Hack-AI-thon Slack Workspace
Build and Submit Your AI Tool
After the kickoff, teams will build an innovative AI tool to create and enhance reviews with dynamic input. Teams will spend the next few days building their tools. Teams are required to submit the following through Survey Monkey Apply by April 16, at 9:00 AM ET in order to be considered for Finals:
- Prototype Link: A single, public link to the tool where your prototype can be viewed and tested.
- Project Repository Link: All code for your tool should be shared in a GitHub repository via GitHub Classroom
- Demo Video (3–5 minutes): A concise walkthrough demonstrating the problem, solution approach, and key functionality of your tool and prototype. Videos must be recorded in real time. Teams that submit sped-up videos will be disqualified.
- Pitch Slide Deck: A slide deck that summarizes the problem, solution, technical approach, and demo flow. This deck will be used if the team advances to the finals.
- Supporting Materials (optional): Additional documentation, slides, citations, or PDFs that help reviewers understand the tool.
After teams have submitted their materials, the Wharton AI & Analytics Data Science and Research Team will select the finalist teams. Finalists will be announced via the @whartonaiai Instagram Live at 5:00PM on April 16.
Finals: Present Your AI Tool to a Panel of Judges on April 17
Finalist teams will deliver their final presentation and present their work in-person to a panel of industry and faculty experts in AI on April 17, 9:00 AM ET. Lunch will be provided. Judging criteria will be shared with teams during the kick-off webinar. All team members from each finalist team should plan to attend finals.
Questions?
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Timeline
Tuesday, April 7, 9:00 AM ET: Team registration deadline
Monday, April 13, 12:00 PM ET: Hack-AI-thon Virtual Kick-Off Event
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 2:00 PM ET: Office Hours with the Wharton AI & Analytics Data Science and Research Team
Monday, April 13 – Thursday, April 16: Student teams work
Thursday, April 16 9:00 AM ET: Team submission Deadline & Feedback Survey
- 9:00 AM ET: Deadline to submit team materials via SurveyMonkey Apply
- 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET: Review by Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative Data Science and Research team
- 5:00 PM ET: Finalists announced via WAIAI’s Instagram Live
Friday, April 17 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET: Hack-AI-thon Judging & Finals
Location: Jon M. Huntsman Hall
Additional details on Finals scheduling will be provided to finalist teams.
Prizes
*OneKeyCash is the rewards currency of the One Key™ program for Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. To receive their award, students must have an active account with Expedia.com, Hotels.com, or Vrbo.com, as OneKeyCash is distributed and redeemed through the One Key rewards program.
Meet Our 2025 Winners
Congratulations to Team M&M’s — Mallika Kulkarni (SEAS’26), Shriya Sane (SEAS’27, W’27), and Monisha Krothapalli (SEAS’27) — who took first place at the 2025 Wharton Hack-AI-thon with a mission to help teachers better serve students with learning disabilities.
Rather than build another AI tutor for students, Team M&M’s flipped the perspective and focused on supporting educators instead. In less than a week, they built Dyscover, an AI tool for identifying and addressing dyslexia, one of the most common and under-diagnosed learning challenges experienced by young people.
