FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: What is the UAI Innovators Hackathon?
A: It’s a virtual competition where teams of 3–5 work on real-world utility analytics challenges using the Awesense Sandbox digital twin platform. Teams develop solutions over four weeks and present their ideas in a 5-minute pitch. Winners will be announced at UA Week 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Q: Who can participate?
A: Utility professionals interested in energy analytics and digitalization. You don’t need to be a data scientist — we encourage diverse teams with technical, business, and creative skills.

Q: Is there a cost to participate?
A: No, participation is free.

Registration & Teams

Q: How do I register?
A: Register through the event landing page during the open registration period. You can sign up as part of a team or as an individuals. If we have enough interest from individuals, UAI will try to pair them up as teams based on skillsets.

Q: What if I don’t have a team?
A: No problem! We will do our best to help match individuals into teams of 3–5.

Q: What skillsets should a team have?
A: Strong teams are usually well-rounded, combining:

  • Data/Technical Skills (data science, analytics, coding, visualization)
  • Utility/Business Knowledge (understanding of grid operations, customer programs, or utility planning)
  • Creative/Design Skills (storytelling, presentation, dashboard design, communication)
  • Project/Team Coordination (keeping the team organized and on schedule)

Q: Who can participate:
A: All utility employees are eligible to participate. 

You don’t need every skill in one person — the best teams balance technical, business, and creative perspectives.

Challenge & Data

Q: What challenges will we be working on?
A: The 2026 challenge is currently being finalized in collaboration with Awesense. Registered teams will receive the official challenge statement, project resources, evaluation criteria, and supporting materials before the project development period begins. There will also be a bonus challenge opportunity.

Q: Why isn't the challenge announced before registration?
A: To ensure all participating teams begin with the same information at the same time, the challenge is released during the Kickoff Webinar. This allows every team equal access to the challenge details, guidance from the Awesense team, and an opportunity to ask questions before project development begins.

Q: What data will we use?
A: The Awesense Sandbox environment, which provides realistic synthetic grid, asset, and time-series data.

Q: Can we use external datasets?
A: Teams should primarily use the Sandbox data provided. Supplemental external datasets are allowed if clearly referenced.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy

Q:  What is the AI Use Policy?
A: The UAI Innovators Hackathon encourages participants to explore innovative technologies, including generative AI tools, while maintaining the integrity of the competition.

Permitted Uses:

Teams may use publicly available or employer-approved AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, Gemini, or similar) to assist with activities including:

  • Brainstorming ideas and approaches
  • Research and information gathering
  • Writing or editing documentation and presentations
  • Code generation or debugging
  • Data analysis assistance
  • Creating visualizations or presentation graphics

Team Responsibility:

AI should be used as a productivity tool, not as a substitute for the team's knowledge, judgment, or decision-making.

Teams remain fully responsible for:

  • The accuracy of all analyses and conclusions
  • Verifying AI-generated content
  • Explaining and defending their methodology during judging
  • Ensuring all submitted work reflects their understanding of the problem

Data Privacy:

Participants should not upload confidential, proprietary, or personally identifiable utility data into public AI platforms.

Only use:

  • The datasets provided through the hackathon
  • Publicly available data
  • Organization-approved AI tools that comply with your employer's policies

Disclosure:

Teams should identify any significant use of generative AI in their final submission or presentation. A simple statement describing how AI assisted the project is sufficient.

Example:

"Our team used Microsoft Copilot to assist with Python code generation and ChatGPT to help refine presentation content. All analysis, conclusions, and recommendations were developed and validated by the team."

Judging:

Projects will not be judged based on whether AI was used.

Using AI does not provide an advantage unless it contributes to a stronger, more thoughtful solution. UAI reserves the right to update this policy as AI technologies evolve and to disqualify submissions that violate the spirit of fair competition or applicable data privacy requirements.

Timeline & Deliverables

Q: What is the timeline?

  • Registration Now Open
  • August 14: Registration Closes
  • August 17: Team Confirmation
  • August 17-28: IT Access & Platform Setup
  • August 31: Development Begins
  • September 25: Submission Deadline
  • September 28-October 8: Judging
  • October 21: Winners Recognized at UA Week

Q: What do teams submit?

  • 5-minute recorded pitch presentation
  • Slide deck summarizing approach and findings
  • Optional prototype/demo (e.g., dashboard, visualization, model)

Q: How will submissions be judged?
A: By a panel of industry experts, using criteria such as problem understanding, use of data, creativity, utility impact, and presentation.

Mentorship & Support

Q: Will we have mentors?
A: Office hours will be available throughout the development period by request. Awesense and UAI experts will also be available to answer technical and program questions.

Q: Who do we contact with questions during the hackathon?
A: A helpdesk email will be provided for quick support.

Judging Criteria

Q: What are projects evaluated on?
A: Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Problem Understanding
  • Technical Approach
  • Innovation
  • Business Value
  • Practical Utility Impact
  • Quality of Presentation

Awards & Recognition

Q: What do winners receive?
A: A crystal award, recognition at UA Week 2026, and visibility across UAI’s community channels.

Q: Will all participants be recognized?
A: Yes! Every participant will receive a certificate of recognition, a small gift, and their contributions will be acknowledged at UA Week.