SLT-MOBITEL and Commercial Bank of PLC partnered with STEMUP Educational Foundation to conduct Hack:bit 2020, a virtual inter-school and inter-university nationwide hackathon with the aim of inspiring creativity amongst Sri Lankan youth.

The grand finals of the Hack:bit 2020 took place recently with prizes worth Rs. 1.5 million presented to winners who represented School and University categories. The grand finals of the Hack:bit 2020 took place recently with prizes to the value of Rs. 1.5 million presented to winners who represented school and university categories. The school category winners were: First - Central College, Kuliyapitiya; Second -  President’s College, Embilipitiya and Third - Ananda College, Colombo.

The winners in the University category were: First - Trincomalee Campus, Eastern University of Sri Lanka and teams from the University of Moratuwa in both second and third places. Hack:bit 2020 which was conducted virtually, provided students with a platform to present their innovative ideas through a disruptive product. It also allowed participants to explore their potential, and to develop their ideas into a successful real-world product. Hack:bit 2020 participants had the privilege of working closely with industry experts who provided valuable know-how and insights to elevate their ideas and to help them further improve. Entries were evaluated by an expert panel of judges on key factors such as uniqueness of the idea, innovativeness, implementation, business value and sustainability. The panel of judges consisted of local technology and academic professionals with years of domain expertise between them.