24 Hours · [EVENT DATE] · Bulwagang Balagtas, PUP A. Mabini Campus

BPO 2.0 — voice AI for the Philippines.

Up to 500 vetted developers in teams of 2–5. Deepgram's Voice AI APIs. 24 hours to build a real Voice AI product that solves a real Philippine problem — then demo it live to the judges, with ₱1M in prizes on the line.

✦

Hackathon prizes

🏆 Prize pool₱1,000,000
Top 3 winnersCash prizes
Grand Final — Top 5 teamsLive on the main stage
Top talentSVHQ + Deepgram hiring bench
Every hackerDeepgram credits

Founders Track 🚀

Not a coder? The startup competition runs in parallel in Room 1. Day 1: up to 20 early-stage teams work through sessions on starting a business, raising capital and pitching. Day 2: up to 12 shortlisted teams pitch in the semifinal, and 3 finalists pitch to investors on the main stage. Corporate + MSMEs passes include the chance to apply.

Founders Final investment₱100,000

How it runs

Five checkpoints across two days. Miss the code freeze and you're out.

Kickoff workshopDay 1, 11:15 AM
24-hour build startsDay 1, 1:00 PM
Code freezeDay 2, 1:00 PM
Science Fair judgingDay 2, 1:15–3:00 PM
Grand Final & awardsDay 2, 3:30 PM

Hackathon schedule

Day 1 · Tuesday, January 26
8:00–9:30 AM
Team check-in & desk assignmentDesks zoned by challenge track. Solo builders are flagged for matchmaking.
9:30–11:00 AM
Opening plenary & keynotesIncluding Deepgram's Kris Efland on “The Philippines: Voice of Asia?” with a live demo. Prefer to skip? Start setting up in the hackathon room.
11:15 AM–12:00 PM
Kickoff workshop: zero to voice agent, liveRules, how to submit on DevPost, a live build from an empty folder, starter kits, the problem bank and credits.
12:00–1:00 PM
Matchmaking & lunchProblem boards by track; solo builders matched into teams. Planning only — no building before 1:00 PM.
1:00 PM
Hackathon beginsThe 24-hour build window opens and DevPost goes live.
3:00 PM
API checkpointMentors on the floor in shifts, with Deepgram engineers on escalation.
Evening
Keep building — or join the partyTeams may step away for the Day 1 concert and party.
Overnight
Hacking continuesAt least two mentors on the floor all night; Deepgram engineers on standby until midnight.
Day 2 · Wednesday, January 27
8:30–10:00 AM
Breakfast & debuggingLast-call technical support from Deepgram engineers.
10:00 AM–12:00 PM
Final buildingFinal prep from 11:15 AM. Teams may also catch the main stage.
12:00–1:00 PM
LunchFinal building continues.
1:00 PM
Code freezeSubmit on DevPost, tagged with the problem you addressed. Working demo required, video as backup.
1:15–3:00 PM
Science Fair judging8 minutes per team: 5-minute demo + 3-minute Q&A with a technical judge and a market/domain judge.
3:00–3:30 PM
Top 5 announcedScores are locked and the Top 5 head to the main stage.
3:30–5:00 PM
Grand FinalThe Top 5 pitch live on the main stage to a five-person panel from Deepgram, SVHQ, and business and government.
5:00 PM
AwardsCash prizes for the top three teams.
5:30 PM
NetworkingMeet the judges, mentors and partners.

Challenge tracks

BPO & Contact Center
Voice AI for the world's BPO capital

Agent assist, call summarization, quality monitoring, multilingual support — tools that make Filipino agents more productive.

Smart City & Government
Voice AI for public services

Citizen hotlines, accessibility, disaster response, and services that reach Filipinos in their own language.

Open Track
Any real Philippine problem

Education, health, MSMEs, agriculture — if it uses Deepgram and solves something real, it qualifies.

Rules

Team size
2–5 members per team

Solo builders are matched into teams at onsite matchmaking (Day 1, 12:00 PM). Cross-org and cross-university teams encouraged. Teams of 5 pay for only 4 Hacker passes.

Required tech
Deepgram Aura + Nova

At least one Deepgram API in your final submission. Other tools are fine as supplements.

Eligibility
Open to all PH developers & students

Apply below with your GitHub and LinkedIn for verification. Accepted developers then secure a Hacker pass.

Code freeze
Day 2 · 1:00 PM — hard deadline

Submit on DevPost, tagged with the problem you addressed. A working demo is required, with a video as backup. No exceptions, no extensions.

Judging
Innovation 30% · Implementation 40% · Impact 30%

Science Fair: paired judges, 8 min per team (5 min demo + 3 min Q&A). Top 5 advance to a live Grand Final before a 5-person panel from Deepgram, SVHQ, and business and government.

Support, space & IP
Mentors on the floor · Teams retain full IP

Mentors on the floor overnight and Deepgram engineers on standby until midnight. Hackers who skip the morning program can set up early in the hackathon room. Hackathon dinner included. You keep all rights to your code.

Apply for the hackathon
Ready to Build?

Apply for the hackathon.

GitHub and LinkedIn required for verification. Spots are limited to 500 vetted developers.

✦
₱1,900
Hacker pass
Everything in the Standard pass, plus: hackathon entry, a shot at the ₱1M prize pool, Deepgram credits, mentors, a hackathon T-shirt and dinner. Teams of 5 pay for only 4.