The Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Semey recently concluded the NIS HACKATHON technology competition for students in grades 9–12. Seventeen teams participated, with the event aimed at developing both the engineering and creative abilities of schoolchildren.

Over the course of 24 hours, participants worked to transform their ideas into fully-fledged IT projects: they created prototypes, refined concepts, and prepared functional models. Each team consisted of four students.

The following day, the young developers presented their projects to a panel of experts, demonstrating the effectiveness of their technical solutions, the practical significance of their ideas, and confidently answering questions from the jury.

The expert panel included Bauyrzhan Nauryzbayev, director of the Abai IT-Valley technology cluster; Shakarim University senior lecturer in STEM education, PhD Kapan Shakerkhan; and school teacher Zhasulan Amezhanov. Projects were evaluated based on innovation, quality of implementation, teamwork, and potential for further development.

“The hackathon format is one of the most effective ways to train future engineers and IT specialists. It develops not only technical knowledge but also the soft skills of students. Judging by the projects presented and the level of preparation, a tremendous amount of work has been done. The results are impressive,” noted Miras Ondasynov, head of the expanded laboratory of information technology and engineering and technical creativity.

The grand prize was won by the AllNighters team, which will represent the school at the network stage of the hackathon in Taraz.