First Inter-Vocational High Schools Hackathon to Be Held at CIU

The School of Applied Sciences and the Software Development Office at Cyprus International University (CIU) are preparing to host an event that will bring together vocational high school students interested in information systems design. The first Inter-Vocational High Schools Hackathon Competition will be held on March 6, 2026, at the CIU Arena on the CIU campus. This special event is specifically designed for high school students.
While CIU has previously organized inter-university hackathon competitions, this time the event is planned specifically for vocational high schools. The competition aims to support students in developing analytical thinking, problem-solving, system design approaches, and teamwork skills.

Today, information systems play a crucial role in enabling institutions to operate efficiently, support decision-making processes, and manage their operations systematically. From healthcare and education to banking and public administration, properly analyzing and designing systems is of great importance. Therefore, understanding system analysis and design processes is considered a valuable achievement for students’ academic and professional development.

As part of the competition, teams will be formed from students applying for the roles of Analyst, System Designer, Diagram Specialist, and Libero from different vocational high schools. Each team will consist of four students, with special attention given to forming teams from different schools. Ensuring that all roles are represented in each team aims to provide students with a collaborative production experience.

During the competition, students will be expected to analyze a real-world problem related to an information system, design a solution, and explain the system using diagrams. The problem scenario will remain confidential until the day of the competition and will be announced at the start of the event. Mentors consisting of academics and PhD students will provide guidance throughout the process. Projects will be evaluated based on criteria such as depth of analysis, consistency of design, accuracy of diagrams, creativity, and presentation quality.

The organization aims to help vocational high school students integrate their theoretical knowledge with practical application and to contribute to the development of qualified human resources in the field of information technology.