Vape-free uni hackathon
Applications close 5pm, 10 August.
What's involved?
You'll get to work with students from universities across the state, to tackle the growing concern of vaping in young people aged 18 to 25. Your team must come up with creative ideas to tackle this urgent public health issue for the chance to win a two-week paid internship. Each team will consist of six students, with one representative from each university including:
1) Australian Catholic University
2) Deakin University
3) Federation University
4) La Trobe University
5) Monash University
6) The University of Melbourne.
How to apply
Complete the application form to tell us why you’re interested in the program and how you meet the selection criteria. There's also an option to submit a short video. Only 20 Federation University students will be selected to participate in the hackathon.
Applications close 5 pm, Monday 10 August 2026.
Program structure
This two-hour online session is the official launch of the program. It will bring together 120 students from six Victorian universities to form 20 cross-university teams of six.
You'll get to:
- learn about the health impacts of vaping, current prevention strategies and the vision for vape-free campuses from top experts, including representatives from VicHealth and Quit Victoria.
- meet cross-university teams, with one student from each participating university.
- connect, build relationships and collaborate with your team to explore ideas.
- access resources to build your knowledge and skills on youth vaping.
Time: 11 am–1 pm
Location: Online
You'll tackle a specific challenge related to the harms of vaping. The full brief will be revealed on the day.
You'll get to:
- work with your team to develop a practical and innovative solution
- receive guidance and feedback from experienced mentors
- apply your creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills to a real-world challenge
- pitch your team's idea to a panel of expert judges.
The top three teams will be selected to advance to the Solution design phase to further develop their idea into a prototype or concept.
Location: The University of Melbourne, Parkville campus
If your team is selected, you'll have until 7 October to submit your final design.
You'll get to:
- refine your solution with your team
- develop a prototype or concept that brings your idea to life
- submit your proposal as a video presentation via Cvent.
A panel of judges representing the universities will evaluate all the submissions.
The winning team will be announced following the judging process and will receive a two-week paid internship.
The winning team will receive a two-week paid internship at their university, with each of the six team members taking part.
You'll get to:
- implement your proposed solution at your university
- gain hands-on experience in a real-world workplace environment
- apply your skills to create a meaningful impact
- build confidence working on a real public health initiative.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible to join this program, you must:
– be a currently enrolled domestic or international student at Federation University
– continue to be a current student during the internship phase (December 2026 – February 2027)
– have the necessary work rights to take part in the full-time internship (required only for the internship stage).
Got questions?
Email us at student.support@federation.edu.au