The CodeXtreme 2025 hackathon concluded with an intense competition as 10 finalist teams pitched their innovative tech solutions. These aimed at addressing pressing community challenges, and contestants were vying for the grand prize of $2,500.

The four-day event, which attracted over 400 signups and 250 attendees, wrapped up on March 1, with 10 teams competing for the top prize, while only the top three teams would split a $5,000 cash prize.

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The hackathon challenged participants to develop high-value, high-impact solutions under the theme: "Build Things People Need: High-Value, High-Impact Solutions to Shape Communities.”

In the preliminary round, 64 teams presented their tech solutions to 10 judges, with the top 10 advancing to the final stage.

Speaking to The New Times, Cedric Murairi, founder of CodeXtreme, praised the participants for their dedication and the impressive quality of their projects.

"Looking at the quality of prototypes and minimum viable product (MVPs) we had, we can confidently say that participants took our theme at heart and made it their mission to build things people need,” he said.

"Teams tackled high-value, high-Impact problems and managed to come up with tech solutions to shape communities in just four days.”

Murairi highlighted that the memories, level of innovation, and hard work showcased during the hackathon reflected young people’s thirst to learn, build and share creativity, and passion for technology and problem-solving.

Participants came from various universities, including the University of Rwanda (UR), Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA), African Leadership University (ALU), Université Libre de Kigali (ULK), and Kepler, Murairi affirmed.

During the hackathon, participants engaged in technical workshops, including &039;Building Cross-Platform Apps with Flutter' and 'Blockchain Beyond Cryptocurrency: Technology for Social Good', hosted by industry experts from Irembo.

Murairi noted that participants not only gained technical skills but also connected with mentors who provided guidance on their projects.

"Participants learned a lot and connected with speakers in one-to-one sessions for mentorship and feedback on the projects they were working on. We intend to host more of these sessions along with our hackathon,” he said.

The winning team developed an Internet of Things (IoT) helmet, L-Guard, for motorcyclists that detects accidents and immediately alerts nearby hospitals, police, and emergency contacts.

The team that won was composed of Terry Manzi, Ramadhani Shaffi Wanjenja, Helen Ugoeze Okereke, and Erioluwa Gideon Olowoyo.

Ramadhani Shaffi, the team’s embedded systems developer, described the hackathon as an incredible experience.

"The hackathon was an incredible experience that challenged my creativity and problem-solving skills,” he said.

"Winning feels amazing, because it validates the hard work and teamwork we put in. It inspired me to keep innovating and pushing boundaries.”

The L-Guard helmet integrates sensors and microcontrollers to send real-time data, even in areas with weak internet connectivity. The system uses Wi-Fi and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) to transmit emergency alerts.

Among the other competing projects, Ndimension stood out as the first runner-up with its AI-powered diagnostic tool designed to help non-specialists in resource-limited settings accurately diagnose diseases.

The second runner-up, Sentra SafeGuard, developed a Global Positioning System (GPS) tool, SafeGuard, that in a single press would send real-time alerts, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and a Google Maps link to a trusted number when danger strikes.

Other solutions leveraged technologies like Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and GPS to address issues in agriculture, healthcare, and transportation.

The panel of judges included software engineers, faculty members, DevOps engineers, and product managers.

Murairi emphasised that while only a few teams could win, organisers plan to support other promising projects that didn’t make it into the top 10.

The winning team received a $2,500 prize, while the second and third-place teams received $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.

Murairi revealed plans to launch CodeXtreme Trove, a platform that will showcase talent and projects from the hackathon to employers and investors.

"Our team is very technical and we are going to push efforts to see what we can accomplish with these other teams in the next few months along with support from our partners and our network of tech experts,” Murairi remarked.

While the CodeXtreme usually attracts participants from different universities, Murairi noted that in July, CodeXtreme plans to introduce an advanced-level high school camp for over 80 students.

The two-month programme will focus on engineering, product development, and software development using Python, Flutter, and web technologies.

Murairi noted that expanding the initiative to high school students will help nurture the next generation of tech innovators.