Student teams from Singapore's IHLs
Students from IHLs in Singapore form teams and build on Databricks Free Edition at no cost, with nothing to set up.
Databricks AISocial Impact (DAISI)Challenge
Singapore Edition
Student teams from Singapore's Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) take on real societal problems with national open data, built free on Databricks and mentored by Databricks engineers, pitched to Databricks APJ leadership.
10
finalist teams
2 weeks
mentored build sprint
Top 3
prize-winning teams
US$24,500
Total prize value
The challenge
Build something Singapore actually needs.
Real problems, national open data
Open problem statements paired with Singapore's national open data, focused on measurable social impact for the public sector.
A stage, and a career path
The top team pitches to Databricks APJ leadership at our new office launch.
Problem statements
Three tracks.
Nine real problems.
Pick one.
Every statement is built on open government datasets from data.gov.sg, with no login and no cost. Teams take one problem end-to-end: ingestion, engineering, machine learning and a live dashboard demo.
Prizes
US$24,500
Total prize value
Credits, training and certification across the top 3 teams
How the prize pool splits
Top 1
Worth Up To US$14K
- US$1,500 of Databricks credits
- 4 Half-Day Class training vouchers per person, worth US$3,000
- 1 certification voucher per person, worth US$200
Top 2
Worth Up To US$7K
- US$1,000 of Databricks credits
- 2 Half-Day Class training vouchers per person, worth US$1,500
Top 3
Worth Up To US$3.5K
- US$500 of Databricks credits
- 1 Half-Day Class training voucher per person, worth US$750
Training vouchers and certification vouchers are awarded per person; Databricks credits are awarded per team.
Sep – Nov 2026
The road to the finale.
- 16 SepLaunch
Data+AI World Tour Singapore
- Hackathon and problem statements announced
- Registration opens
- Formation of team (1-4 pax) in registration page
- 24 SepEnablement · Completed
Hands-on Training (completed)
- Topic: Get Started with Databricks: End to End
- Live virtual session held 24 Sep, 7:00-10:00 PM SGT
- Missed it? Start self-paced training
- Closes 6 OctRound 1
Idea submissions
- 1-page concept or 3-slide pitch
- Shortlisting 7–9 Oct
- 10 teams announced 9 Oct, with details to Demo Day shared
- 12–26 OctBuild
Two-week build sprint
- The 10 shortlisted teams each get a Databricks mentor
- Virtual kickoff Mon 12 Oct, evening
- 27 OctRound 2
Demo Day
- Final stage, 4–7pm
- Top 3 teams selected
- 4 NovFinale
New office launch
- Winning team presents to Databricks APJ leadership
- Top 10 teams attend and network
Training
Learn at your own pace
Self-paced~2 hoursBeginner friendlyFree
Missed the live session? Get started with the self-paced Get Started with Databricks: End to End course. The 24 September live session has concluded and was not recorded.
Approximately 2 hours. No prior Databricks experience required. Academy sign-in or registration may be required.
Covers the workspace, Unity Catalog and ingestion, notebooks and Genie Code, SQL and dashboards, Genie Agents, and introductory AI/ML with MLflow and the Data Science Agent. Open the course.
What we cover
- 01The Databricks Workspace
- 02Understanding & Ingesting Data with Unity Catalog
- 03Working Faster with Genie Code
- 04SQL for Querying and Dashboards
- 05Genie Agents for Natural Language Analytics
- 06AI-ML & Data Science Agent
Your mentors
Databricks engineers in your corner for the sprint.
The Top 10 shortlisted team is paired with a mentor from the Databricks Singapore team for the two-week build.
Xiao Wen (XW) Song
Solutions Architect
Tau Lim
Sr. Solutions Architect
Loy Sheng
Solutions Engineer
Selvam Rajendran
Lead Technical Enablement Specialist
Suzanne van Trigt
Lead Engagement Manager
Rochana Tiyyagura
Solutions Engineer
Darren Wee
Sr. Solutions Engineer
Jennifer Wang
Solutions Architect
Suneel Sunkara
Specialist Solutions Architect
Hao Yong
Solutions Engineer
Demo Day judges
The panel for 27 Oct.
Databricks leaders judging the final pitches at Demo Day.
Cecily Ng
Vice President and General Manager, ASEAN & Greater China Region, Databricks
Nicholas “Nick” Eayrs
Vice President, Field Engineering APJ, Databricks
Natsuki Morzaria
Sales Development Manager — Big Data, AI & Machine Learning / Data Intelligence Platform
Free to build
Databricks Free Edition
- Serverless notebooks, SQL warehouses and dashboards
- Genie spaces for natural language analytics
- Foundation Model APIs, model serving and MLflow
- Lakeflow pipelines and Unity Catalog governance
Questions
FAQs
Who can join?+
Students from Singapore's Institutes of Higher Learning, including undergraduates and polytechnic students. Teams can have 1 to 4 students. Register during the launch window.
How much does it cost?+
Nothing. Everyone builds on Databricks Free Edition. No cost, no credit card.
Do I need prior Databricks experience?+
No. The self-paced Get Started with Databricks: End to End course (about 2 hours, no prior experience required) is a good starting point, and the 10 shortlisted teams are paired with a Databricks mentor for the build sprint. Training is optional.
I missed the live training. Where can I learn?+
The 24 September live session has concluded and was not recorded. Instead, take the self-paced Get Started with Databricks: End to End course: approximately 2 hours, no prior Databricks experience required. Academy sign-in or registration may be required. It is optional and not a requirement to enter.
What data do we use?+
Open problem statements paired with Singapore's national open data. You may bring additional public datasets if you cite them.
What do we submit in Round 1?+
A 1-page concept note or a 3-slide pitch deck (PDF), due 6 Oct, 11:59pm SGT. A ready-made 3-slide template is in the Participant Guide. Ten teams are announced on 9 Oct and move into the build sprint.
What happens at the finale?+
The winning team presents at the new Databricks Singapore office launch on 4 Nov to Databricks APJ leadership. All top 10 teams are invited.
10 teams. 2 weeks. 1 stage.
Round 1 is an idea submission: a 1-page concept note or 3-slide PDF. No prototype or demo video required at this stage. Submit by 6 October 2026, 11:59 PM SGT. See the guide and 3-slide template