Inductive Automation is excited to announce sign ups for the 2026 Ignition STUDENT Build-a-Thon are open! The Build-a-Thon is an event which pits integration companies against each other to test their knowledge and skill in application development with Ignition software. After various challenges, this event culminates in the two finalists battling head-to-head and demonstrating their final project onstage at the Ignition Community Conference. We couldn’t let the integrators have all the fun and now we’re excited to present a similar challenge to students who are savvy in Ignition. 

The Student Build-a-Thon will be a fully remote event, taking place from Monday, April 20 to Monday, April 27, 2026. That's right! This year, we are changing things up and giving students a full week. Students will build their Ignition projects based on the specifications provided at the onset of the competition. The license and simulated devices will be provided by Inductive Automation at the beginning of the competition. Absolutely no hardware outside of your personal computer is necessary! Your operating system can be Windows, Linux, Mac — whatever you have handy. Ignition is completely OS-agnostic and processor-agnostic (ARM-based processors are fine). Complete system requirements can be found on IA’s Download Ignition webpage. 

We encourage you to post about the Student Build-a-Thon and document your process as you work through the challenge. Please feel free to submit footage that may include: teams at their desks furiously typing, webcam footage of teams working, group shots around the computer, live reactions to completing the different tasks, and/or staged reactions to winning or losing. 

• Students must be located in the United States, France, or Canada.
• Students must be enrolled in their respective schools for the Spring 2026 semester.
• All team members must be from the same school.
• Students must be 18+ to enter.
• Students can be at an undergraduate or graduate level.
• Teams can consist of 1 - 4 students and must include a faculty representative.
• At least one team member must be credentialed in the latest version of Ignition through Inductive University prior to April 6, 2026. This is a highly coveted credential that will show off your Ignition knowledge to future employers!
• For a complete list of skills needed to complete the challenge, please review the necessary skills here.

• Competitors will have a full week starting April 20, 2026 at 5:00PM PST to plan and build their projects based on the requirements outlined at the outset of the competition.
• Inductive Automation will provide the competition scenario, the judging rubric, and everything you need to know as soon as the event starts.
• The Ignition projects created during the week must be created “from scratch” - using the designer with fresh installs of Ignition. 
• Competitors are NOT allowed to get help from outside sources during the build process. The use of external applications, tools, or web pages outside of official Ignition and Inductive Automation documentation to aid in generating answers is prohibited. Challenges should be completed with the team's personal Ignition knowledge, or by consulting Ignition documentation
• There will be a Student Build-a-Thon category in the IA forum for the community to chime in and answer student questions.
• Your Ignition projects must not require playing audio files or streams.
• At the end of your build time, your projects will be submitted per the instructions you receive on April 20. 

The winning team will be featured in-person* at the 2026 Ignition Community Conference, set for September 22–24, 2026 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention & Performing Arts District in downtown Sacramento, California. In addition, the winning project will be featured at the conference, earning them the attention of hundreds of Ignition enthusiasts and potential employers. If the winning team cannot travel to ICC for whatever reason,  a virtual option will be offered. Each winner will also receive a one-of-a-kind Ignition Student Build-a-Thon swag item, to be revealed at a future date.

The first 20 teams who enter the competition and successfully complete the submission requirements will also receive a specially curated swag pack from Inductive Automation.

*Speaker tickets and lodging costs are included in the prize. Travel costs are excluded and must be covered by the winning team. Prizes are valued at approximately $1,500 USD per winner. See official Terms & Conditions for more information.

Please review the official terms and conditions here.

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