Rice Datathon 2026

Overview

The Rice Datathon 2026 is an annual event hosted by Rice University from January 23-25, 2026, where college students tackle 36-hour data science challenges. It's a great opportunity to network with companies and peers, explore data science, and compete for prizes. The event is beginner-friendly and encourages innovation with data.

Requirements

This hackathon is open to college students from all countries, provided they are above the legal age of majority. You will need to submit a project video, no longer than 3 minutes, that showcases your project, methods, and findings. A public GitHub repository containing all your project code, files, and documentation is also required, with a README file that provides clear instructions. You may also need to provide additional materials specific to the challenge guidelines.

Prizes

There are 14 non-cash prizes available. The 'Best Overall' category offers prizes of $150 per team member for 1st place, $125 for 2nd, and $100 for 3rd. Other track-specific prizes include cash awards ranging from $25 to $100 per team member for categories like Neurotech, BroadVail Capital, Beginner Track, OpenStax, and Social Impact. There are also special prizes like Google Swag Kits for the Best Use of Gemini API, a Ledger Nano S Plus for Best Use of Solana, portable screens for Best Use of Vultr, wireless earbuds for Best Use of ElevenLabs, and an M5GO IoT Starter Kit for Best Use of MongoDB Atlas.