NACOS
NACOS National Hackathon

BuildX NACOS

Build Innovative Solutions to Problems in Nigeria; ranging from politics, health, education and payments.

VirtualOrganised by Vice President (Int'l Affairs)
Start chapter application

Event date

Sep 8, 2026

Location

Virtual

Prize pool

₦1,000,000

Apply before

Sep 20, 2026

About

Build beyond the classroom.

Turn an idea into working national impact.

BuildXNACOS 2026 is a national student innovation challenge powered by NACOS National, bringing together student developers, innovators and tech enthusiasts from across Nigeria to turn ideas into practical solutions. Participants will work on real-world challenges, receive mentorship and technical support, and compete for prizes and opportunities to showcase their solutions to industry leaders, investors and ecosystem partners. The programme will run virtually across Nigeria and culminate in a physical National Demo Day in Lagos, where selected teams will pitch their solutions.

Prize breakdown

Build. Win. Grow.

1st Place₦500,00
2nd Place₦300,000
3rd Place₦200,000

Timeline

Registration opensAug 28, 2026
Registration closesSep 5, 2026
Hack startsSep 8, 2026
Hack endsSep 19, 2026
Submission deadlineSep 21, 2026

0

Registered

0

Teams

0

Submitted

Challenge tracks

Pick a problem worth solving.

01

Open Payments & FinTech

02

Artificial Intelligence

03

Digital Innovation

Judging criteria

Innovation20%
Problem Understanding15%
Technical Implementation20%
Impact & Scalability20%
User Experience10%
Presentation & Demo15%

Rules

Team size: 5–15

Solo: Not allowed

Eligibility

What your chapter needs.

  • 1Must be a registered NACOS student/member
  • 2Must be currently enrolled in a Nigerian tertiary institution
  • 3Must participate as a team
  • 4Solution must address a real-world problem
  • 5Solution must fall under at least one of the approved BuildX tracks
  • 6Participants must be available for scheduled mentorship and evaluation sessions
  • 7Teams must submit their solution before the stated deadline
  • 8Teams must be available for the final Demo Day if selected

Represent your school

Ready to build?

One approved chapter president submits on behalf of the chapter. You can update the application while entries remain open.

Chapter application
Submit your build.
Complete every required question before the deadline.
  • Verified current-session chapter president
  • A chapter listed as eligible by the hackathon administrators
  • One to four registered students from the selected school
Open protected application