Koja Group Hackathon

Can you combine web programming and 3D modeling? Or do you just have better ideas than everyone else?

Well, hey, this might be just for you!

To celebrate Koja Group's 90th anniversary, we are organizing the first-ever Koja Group Hackathon for students:

Wednesday, April 9, 2025, from 9 AM to 9 PM
at Koja R&D Center
(Lentokentänkatu 7, 33900 Tampere)

Registration is open from March 7 to March 20, 2025.

A prize pool of 3000 euros awaits the top three teams – don’t miss your chance to join!

REGISTER

Dear Student,

We are Koja Group, machine builders at heart, bending metal while navigating the green and digital transformation. In 2025, our family-owned company celebrates 90 years of innovation. To mark this milestone, we want to connect with students — future builders of digital Finland — and that's why we're organizing Koja Group Hackathon.

We've scheduled the event just before the May Day festivities, on April 9, 2025, at our own R&D center in Tampere, Härmälä. We're not hackathon veterans, and we’re not aiming for a textbook-style hackathon — we’ll do it our way.

We’re great at bending metal on the factory floor, but bending virtual metal is something we’re still working on. That’s why our hackathon challenge focuses on creating 3D models — specifically sheet metal products — in a browser. We believe that browser-based tools and cloud solutions are a big part of our future, and we want to learn more about them together with you!

For this event, we’ll provide an API that allows teams to generate complete ventilation unit frames and instructions on how to integrate our technology into your own browser-based design interfaces. We won’t reveal all the details just yet, but if you’re a coder interested in 3D modeling or an engineer passionate about programming, this challenge is for you! Form a team of 2–6 people and join us.

If you want to explore the event’s technologies in advance, check out: https://react.dev/, https://www.freecad.org/, https://dev.opencascade.org/. 

The official event runs from 9 AM to 9 PM, including food and refreshments. And after the event? We’ll celebrate with a legendary afterparty at Teekkarisauna in Tampere!  Last, but not least, we offer a prize pool of €3,000 for the top three teams!

Registration is open March 7–20, 2025. Selected participants will be notified by email by March 26, 2025. 

Come help digitize Finnish industry and have fun bending digital metal with us. See you in Härmälä!

What’s the event about?

Koja Group Hackathon is a competition where teams solve a specific challenge within a limited time. The topic is announced in advance, but detailed instructions are only given at the start of the competition.

Teams will have the event duration to develop their solution. Once time is up, a jury of experts from Koja and Chiller will evaluate and score the results. Winners will be announced at the event’s conclusion. 

WHO IS THIS FOR? 

You must be a Finnish university student and at least 18 years old. 

Your field of study doesn’t matter, but the challenge is best suited for: Coders interested in 3D modeling and design software, as well as mechanical, civil, and automation engineering students interested in programming.

CHALLENGE TOPIC

Combining web programming and 3D modeling.

HOW TO REGISTER?

Form a team of 2–6 people and register together.
No team? No problem! Sign up alone, and we’ll match you with a group.

The registration link will be available on this page from March 7, 2025.

Max participants: 50 students. If we receive more applications, we will select participants after registration closes and notify them by March 26, 2025.

PRIZES

Winning teams receive cash prizes:
1st place: €1,500 per team
2nd place: €1,000 per team
3rd place: €500 per team

EVENT DETAILS

The event is organized at Koja R&D Center, our product development and testing lab. The participants should bring their own laptop, skills, and creativity. We provide workspaces and API access for the challenge, if needed. 

We'll provide meals. Coffee and soft drinks will be available throughout the day.

AFTER THE EVENT 

Once the hackathon wraps up, the discussion can continue at the Koja Group-sponsored Teekkarisauna afterparty! 

MORE INFO

Turo Välikangas, Head of Digitalization, Koja Oy
(turo.valikangas@koja.fi)

Note: The organizers reserve the right to adjust team compositions if necessary.