BNFOthon 2026

Overview

BNFOthon 2026 is the 6th annual bioinformatics hackathon hosted by VCU, offering a 24-hour online coding experience for college students. You'll work in teams to tackle prompts related to Machine Learning in Medicine, Biomedical Ethics, or Biological Data Science. It's beginner-friendly and a great way to develop practical skills in bioinformatics.

Requirements

This hackathon is for VCU college students only, and you must be of legal age in your country. Teams should have between 2 and 5 members, but don't worry if you don't have a team beforehand, as there's a process to form teams at the start. The event is online and open to participants in the US. Your submission needs to be entered on Devpost before the deadline and should include a video pitch (under 5 minutes) demonstrating your project, along with any supplemental materials like code or designs.

Prizes

There are 6 non-cash prizes available for participants. Winners can receive prizes such as a Portable Projector (4 winners), a Google Nest Mini Speaker (4 winners), a Phage Plushie (4 winners), Lego Sets (3 winners), Blind boxes (4 winners), and a Spider-man Desk Light & blind bag set (1 winner).