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When you hear the word ‘hackathon’, it might make you think of shady underworld types with ulterior motives, or perhaps it reminds you of the classic thriller Hackers, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie.

While the reality is slightly different, it’s just as fun.

The ANU Entrepreneurship Club recently hosted the 51�Թ���’s first-ever hackathon in the Birch Building Innovation Space, with support from the ANU School of Computing and university donor Mr Loong Wang. 

Computer programmers and tech enthusiasts from educational institutions across Canberra were tasked with leveraging AI to elevate consumer-facing healthcare. 

Over 24 adrenaline-fuelled hours, 88 talented students formed 22 teams, developing innovative projects while being sustained by an endless supply of food, coffee and Red Bull.

On the final day, a panel comprised of successful founders, leading academics and industry professionals, judged each submission on innovation, use of AI, design and implementation, scalability, and the strength of the team’s pitch.

The winning team - Jerry Mahajan, Arthur Bond, Lachlan Graham and Spike Risley - presented ClearTalk, an AI chatbot concept that analyses audio inputs to provide speech therapy to those with complex speech impediments.

In second place was CogniTrack, a model developed by Sam Bahrami, Evan Markou, Sam Cantril and Ross Tieman to help detect early-stage cognitive decline using visual biomarkers.

Coming in third were Leo Chan, Arlan Shaw-Crocker, Elliot Price, and Matthew Hackett. The team developed DyslexiClear, an innovative on-demand tool that supports individuals with dyslexia by transforming challenging text into more accessible formats in real-time.

ANU Entrepreneurship Club Founder and President Tejas Tagra said the hackathon proved that ANU is home to some of the country's brightest talents. 

“At ANU and within our Club, we are committed to supporting and incubating ideas that have the potential to positively impact society.” 

Prizes were awarded to the top three teams, with the first-place team earning $900, the second-place team receiving $700, and the third-place team taking home $400. A special mention was also given to the most innovative idea.