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Purpose
Give every Bangladeshi student — not just CSE majors — a structured first experience building real AI products with frontier models, not synthetic demos.
Z.ai × Bangladesh · National Level · September 2026
The first national AI hackathon
for Bangladesh, powered by Z.ai.
A multi-track, multi-university hackathon that puts Z.ai's GLM models in the hands of Bangladesh's student developers — building real AI solutions for education, healthcare, inclusion, climate, and campus life.
- 0 Impact tracks
- 0 Universities targeted
- GLM token context
- Free For all students
01 About the hackathon
Built for Bangladesh's AI generation.
The first national-level AI hackathon in Bangladesh that uses Z.ai's GLM model family as its core platform. Organized by Rudra Sarker, Z.ai Ambassador for Bangladesh, together with RoboSUST Club and partner universities across the country.
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National scope
Open to students across Bangladesh. Virtual qualifiers feed into an in-person final at SUST, Sylhet — with partner hubs in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Rajshahi.
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Why Z.ai
GLM-5.2 — with its 1M-token context window, agentic tools (AutoGLM, AutoClaw), and the ZCode IDE — is the right platform for a country where access to frontier AI has historically been the bottleneck.
02 Why Bangladesh · Why now
A developer ecosystem ready to move.
Bangladesh has one of the largest student developer populations in South Asia. What it has not had — until now — is a national AI event anchored on a single frontier platform with real ambassador-led support on the ground.
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CS / Engineering students nationwide
Across public and private universities, all eligible to participate.
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First Z.ai-anchored national event
No other national hackathon in Bangladesh is currently built around Z.ai's GLM platform.
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Token context window on GLM-5.2
Verified hands-on by the ambassador — a real differentiator for student projects.
What this unlocks for Z.ai
- Credible on-the-ground presence in a South Asian market of 170M+ people.
- Direct adoption by the next generation of Bangladeshi developers, before competitors establish a foothold.
- Public, sponsor-ready artifacts (website, starter kits, certificates, demo recordings) that compound in value after the event.
03 Tracks
Five tracks. Real impact.
Every project must meaningfully use Z.ai's GLM models. Beyond that, teams pick one impact track.
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Education
Learning tools, tutoring agents, language access, study companions.
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Healthcare
Triage assistants, mental health support, health literacy in Bangla.
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Inclusion
Assistive tech, accessibility tools, sign-language and vision support.
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Climate
Sustainability, agriculture, weather, disaster preparedness.
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Campus Life
University-specific solutions: admissions, transport, mental health, community.
Bonus weighting on the judging rubric for teams that publicly open-source their work and write a short technical blog post about their Z.ai integration.
04 Participation
Who can join.
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Eligibility
- Currently enrolled student at any Bangladeshi university (public or private).
- All departments welcome — CSE, SWE, EEE, IPE, business, design, liberal arts.
- Beginner-friendly: no prior AI experience required.
- International students studying in Bangladesh are welcome.
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Team size
- Preferred: 2–4 members.
- Solo entries allowed with organizer approval.
- One participant can be on only one team.
- Cross-university teams encouraged.
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How to apply
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What you get
- Free Z.ai API credits for the event.
- Python and web starter kits pre-wired to GLM.
- Certificate of participation for every valid submission.
- Mentorship from Z.ai ambassadors and SUST faculty.
05 Timeline
From registration to national final.
All key milestones land in September 2026.
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Phase 01 · Sep 1–7, 2026
Registration opens
Nationwide call for teams. Universities invited to nominate student representatives.
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Phase 02 · Sep 8–14, 2026
Virtual workshops
Z.ai tools onboarding, GLM API crash course, agent building with AutoGLM.
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Phase 03 · Sep 15–21, 2026
Online qualifier
Teams submit a working prototype + 3-minute demo video. Top entries advance.
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Phase 04 · Sep 26–27, 2026
In-person final · SUST, Sylhet
Top teams converge at SUST for a two-day build + demo + judging event.
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Phase 05 · Sep 30, 2026 →
Showcase & publish
Winning projects open-sourced. Showcased to Z.ai, partners, and Bangladeshi media.
06 University outreach
SUST IPE 27th batch — Z.ai workshop.
In May 2026, the ambassador delivered a 1-hour hands-on Z.ai workshop for the 27th batch of the Industrial & Production Engineering department at SUST. That workshop seeded the cohort now organizing this national hackathon.
- Live demo of GLM-5 Turbo, GLM-5V Turbo, and AutoGLM
- Walkthrough of the Z.ai console, API keys, and pricing
- First look at the hackathon concept — student feedback collected live
- Q&A on building real products on Z.ai inside IPE coursework
07 Sponsorship & partnership
What Z.ai gives. What Z.ai gets.
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Requested from Z.ai
- API credits for all participating teams during the event window.
- Title supporter branding on the website, posters, certificates, and social.
- A short recorded keynote (5–10 minutes) for the opening ceremony.
- Two Z.ai judges for the national final.
- Swag (stickers, t-shirts) for finalists where logistics allow.
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Z.ai gets in return
- National-level brand presence across Bangladeshi universities.
- A cohort of trained student developers shipping products on the Z.ai API.
- Open-source artifacts (starter kits, demo repos) that keep recruiting for Z.ai after the event.
- A measurable Bangladesh-region growth signal for the quarter.
- A polished case study the ambassador team will hand back to Z.ai.
Looking for co-sponsors and community partners (cloud credits, judging time, venue support, media reach). Reach out via the contact section.
08 Community & ecosystem
Building Bangladesh's AI ecosystem — not just one event.
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Regional visibility
Sylhet · Dhaka · Chattogram · Rajshahi hubs extend Z.ai's footprint beyond a single campus.
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Student engagement
Workshop alumni become mentors; finalists become next year's organizers. The event compounds.
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Developer ecosystem
Every team leaves with a starter kit, API access, and an open-source repo — Z.ai stays in their toolchain.
09 FAQ
Common questions.
QDo I need to know AI or ML before joining?
No. The hackathon is beginner-friendly. We provide starter kits for Python and web that are pre-wired to Z.ai's GLM API, and we run a virtual onboarding workshop before the build window opens.
QIs there a registration fee?
No. Registration is completely free for all enrolled students. Z.ai API credits during the event window are also provided at no cost to participants.
QCan I participate from outside SUST?
Yes. The qualifier is fully online. The in-person final is hosted at SUST, Sylhet, but we are working with partner universities to set up satellite viewing hubs in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Rajshahi.
QWhat if I don't have a team?
You can register solo and we'll help match you with teammates through the official Discord tournament channel. Cross-university teams are encouraged.
QHow is Z.ai involved?
Z.ai is the title supporter of the event. The entire hackathon is built on the GLM model family (GLM-5, GLM-5.1, GLM-5 Turbo, GLM-5V Turbo, GLM-5.2) and on Z.ai's agentic tools (AutoGLM, AutoClaw) and ZCode IDE.
QWill my project need to be open-sourced?
Open-sourcing is encouraged and earns bonus weight on the judging rubric, but is not strictly required to participate. Winning teams are expected to publish a short technical write-up.
QWhat are the prizes?
Cash prizes, certificates of achievement, mentorship opportunities, and featured showcase on Z.ai and ambassador channels. Final prize pool will be announced with the official rules document.
QHow can my university get involved as a partner?
Email or DM the ambassador (see contact). We onboard partner universities as satellite hubs, judging partners, or co-organizers depending on their capacity.
10 Gallery & proof
Evidence of the work behind this.
A selection of artifacts from the ambassador cycle that produced this hackathon.
Workshop
SUST IPE 27th batch
Model
GLM-5.2 · 1M context
Product
StealthHumanizer × Z.AI
Social
Ambassador posts
11 Register & contact
Get involved.
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For participants
Register your interest to get the API starter pack and workshop invites before public sign-up opens.
Join the waitlistAlready part of a SUST team? Mention it in the form — we'll fast-track you.
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For sponsors & partners
Cloud credits, judging time, venue support, or media partnership — we'll feature you in the right places.
Email the ambassador📬
Contact
- AmbassadorRudra Sarker
- Emailrudrasarker130@gmail.com
- LinkedInin/rudrasarker
- X@Rudra496
- GitHubgithub.com/rudra496
- Portfoliorudra496.github.io/site