Vape-free Uni Hackathon 2026

Student teams are challenged with the public health issue of vaping in young people.

Program details

The Vape-Free Uni Hackathon is an exciting initiative bringing together six Victorian universities to collaborate. The hackathon aims to empower student creativity, innovation and problem-solving.

Teams must come up with bold ideas to tackle the urgent public health issue of vaping in young people aged 18 to 25. Each team will consist of six students, with one representative from each university. This setup aims to promote collaboration and diverse perspectives.

The participating universities are:

• Australian Catholic University
• Deakin University
• Federation University
• La Trobe University
• Monash University
• The University of Melbourne.

The winning team will receive a two-week paid internship to bring their idea to life. They will work with stakeholders to refine, develop and implement their solution across university campuses.

The initiative is funded by the VicHealth Vaping Prevention Collective Impact 2.0 Grants program.

Eligibility

To be eligible to join this program, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a currently enrolled student at ACU
• Continue to be a current student during the internship phase (December 2026 – February 2027)
• Have necessary work rights to partake in the full-time internship at the University (required only for the internship stage).

The program is open to both international and domestic students of all disciplines.

Apply now

Applications close Monday 10 August 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr Alexander Campbell