We’re the only local event in Queensland, so we’re running this exciting, two-day hackathon event in a hybrid format. This offers the chance for up to 40 local participants to take part in person, while including livestream access to teams all around Queensland!
Space Apps is NASA’s annual international hackathon, and it takes place in cities all over the world. In 2025, there were 551 local events across 167 countries and territories, and more than 114,000 people took part. Over one weekend, teams choose a challenge written by a NASA subject matter expert and build something to address it, using open data from NASA and its space agency partners. The 2026 theme is the “Next Frontier”. Projects are judged locally first, then two from each event go forward to the global judging panel.
The awesome team at Media8 in Burleigh Heads have offered to host the main event at their studios, and their livestream is what makes the rest of this possible.
You can come and join us in person or, if you’re a university, a student association, an innovation hub, a co-working space, a STEM club or a school, or just a group of friends in a living room, you can tune in to the livestream and run your own pod of activity wherever you are.
Register with us, join the stream, and you’re part of it. Queensland is a big state and there’s a lot of talent that never makes it to big city events. This is a good chance to change that.
Everyone. Developers, data and AI people, engineers, designers, students, teachers, researchers, founders, artists and storytellers – anyone who is curious and wants a go. Come on your own and we’ll help you find a team.
The Gold Coast Innovation Hub will be organising the event, with Media8 providing the venue and the livestream. We’ll announce other local partners in the lead-up to the event, so keep an eye on our social media channels to stay in the loop.
We’re organising some awesome local spacetech and AI development talent to help you build your ideas and NASA are providing some online ‘navigators’ too.
Date: Saturday 14th November, 9am, until Sunday 15 November, 5pm.
Format: In-person in Burleigh on the Gold Coast, or access the event via livestream for groups and individuals elsewhere in Queensland.
Registration: Open now! Click on the link below to access the NASA Space Apps Gold Coast page, then click on the yellow “Sign up for this local event” button to register.
Cost & Eligibility: It’s free to take part! Participants under 18 need parental or guardian consent and supervision throughout.