About ThunderHacks II
ThunderHacks II is the second ALCOMS hackathon at Algoma University. It runs in person on the Brampton and Sault Ste. Marie campuses from October 14 to 16, 2026. Powered by OLG.
This page is for registered participants only. This is not an online hackathon. Projects from anyone who did not register through the ThunderHacks website and attend in person will be removed.
Teams of 3 to 4 members, all on the same campus.
Tracks
- ALCOMS Main Track: Version 2.0. Pick something you use that is broken, outdated or annoying and build its next version.
- OLG Track ($1,000): Intelligent Player Protection and Fraud Detection
- Canadian Bank Note Track ($500): Casino Style Crash Game
- Algoma Game Jam Track ($500): Four Seasons. Build a game where the seasons change how it plays.
No track is mandatory. One project can enter several tracks, present once, and get scored on each.
Schedule (Eastern Time)
Wednesday, October 14
- 3:00 PM: Registration and check-in
- 4:00 PM: Opening ceremony
- 5:30 PM: OLG Anti-Money Laundering workshop
- Evening: Dinner, then hacking begins
- 10:00 PM: Doors close
Thursday, October 15
- 11:00 AM: OLG Careers and Hiring workshop
- 12:00 PM: Lunch
- 1:00 PM: Canadian Bank Note workshop
- 2:00 PM: Hacking continues
- 4:00 PM: Gaming competition
- 7:00 PM: Dinner
- 10:00 PM: Doors close
Friday, October 16
- 10:00 AM: Breakfast
- 12:00 PM: Submissions close on Devpost
- 12:30 PM: Presentations and judging
- 2:30 PM: Closing ceremony, lunch and networking
Contact
Questions go to an ALCOMS organizer on site, the ThunderHacks II WhatsApp community, or [email protected].
Requirements
What to Build
A working project that answers one or more of the track problem statements released at the opening ceremony. All work must be done during the hackathon.
What to Submit
- One submission per team, before 12:00 PM Eastern on Friday, October 16
- Project name and a short description of what it does and how it was built
- The track or tracks the team is entering
- Required: a link to the GitHub repository
- Required: a link to the presentation slides
- Optional: a demo video link and a link to the deployed project
- All team members added as teammates on the Devpost project
Teams also present live to the judges on Friday afternoon.
Prizes
ALCOMS Main Track: 1st Place
ALCOMS Main Track: 2nd Place
ALCOMS Main Track: 3rd Place
OLG Track Prize
Canadian Bank Note Track Prize
Algoma University Game Jam Prize
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
ThunderHacks II Judging Panel
Sponsor and industry judges on both campuses
Judging Criteria
-
ALCOMS Main Track: Version 2.0 (100 points)
Theme fit and problem 20. Innovation 20. Technical execution 30. Design and user experience 20. Pitch and questions 10. -
OLG Track (100 points + up to 10 bonus)
Detection of unusual activity 20. Contextual risk assessment 20. Investigation prioritization 20. Investigator experience 20. Working demo and technical soundness 20. Bonus: up to 10 additional points. -
Canadian Bank Note Track: Crash Game (100 points)
All four MVP items must work to be scored. Presentation Layer 20. Backend Layer 20. Modularity and Configurability 20. Creativity and Polish 40. -
Algoma Game Jam Track: Four Seasons (100 points)
Theme (Four Seasons) 25. Gameplay and fun 30. Art and audio 20. Playable build 15. Originality 10. -
How scoring works
Each track has its own rubric and judges. Teams are scored only on the tracks they entered and present once. Tracks are ranked separately. Full rubric details are on the Rules page.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Invite others to compete
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