The future of tech is here: Reflecting on UNIHACK 2026

From toy to tool, see how participants at UNIHACK 2026 leveraged Elasticsearch and vector databases to build professional, scalable AI solutions for real-world problems.

Grant Dorahy

March 23, 2026

Summary

Elastic sponsored the UNIHACK 2026 event, mentoring students building the future of technology.
Over 50 teams integrated Elasticsearch and vector database capabilities to move beyond basic LLMs into professional-grade AI workflows.
Top projects demonstrated the sophisticated use of geospatial data and hybrid search to solve complex human problems.
The event highlighted a shift where students transition from academic theory to delivering high-performance, scalable solutions.

What an incredible 48 hours! As the dust settles on UNIHACK 2026, the Elastic sales and solution architect teams in Australia are still buzzing from the energy, ingenuity, and pure imagination we witnessed across the country.

For Elastic, sponsoring UNIHACK was so much more than putting a logo on a website; it was about connecting with the next generation of tech makers and disruptors. With a record-breaking 1,010 participants from 20+ universities and hundreds of submissions, 52 of which integrated Elastic, the competition was fierce.

It was a privilege to mentor students building the future of technology. This year was particularly fulfilling because we had the privilege of working alongside other Australian companies, including our valued Elastic customer Macquarie Bank.

Macquarie Bank deeply understands the benefits of innovative technology and truly believes in nurturing the next generation of tech talent. It was an honour to support the team’s vision and witness the impact they are having on the industry.

Purest innovation, no constraints

In the day to day, it’s easy to get caught up in the commercial delivery of running a business. UNIHACK is the perfect intersection where we get to see these students who will be running businesses next and working with technology in its purest form.

Seeing what they could break and build in just 48 hours was amazing. The speed, creativity, and output were genuinely impressive, with innovative work at the same level as major companies. The students operated as pure technologists, free from commercial constraints, which enabled some of the brightest ideas I’ve seen in years.

The AI reality check: Tool vs. toy

We saw many students diving into artificial intelligence, but we also noticed a common misconception: the idea that simply punching it into a large language model (LLM) is the whole solution.

During our mentoring sessions, we worked with them to understand that an LLM is a function and an efficiency, but not the whole engine. The real lightbulb moment for these teams was realising that, when you scale to real-world problems with massive datasets and high query volumes, it becomes a data-and-workflow challenge. It’s a toy until it becomes a tool in a professional workflow, and watching them grasp that deep technical reality was incredibly rewarding.

3 projects that blew us away

1. The winners: Hot Steppers — The Hooked App

The Hot Steppers didn’t just use Elasticsearch; they pushed the boundaries. This was the broadest and most pure application of search technology we saw over the weekend.

How they used Elastic: By seamlessly integrating image search, geospatial data, and LLMs, they created a sophisticated UI that proved search is about context, not just text.
Read and watch the pitch.

2. DCT — Echo Quest (honourable mention)

This was perhaps the most original and relatable idea of the event. It used technology to do genuine good in the world, specifically by managing sensitive information during times of need.

How they used Elastic: DCT achieved complete anonymity with beyond-sensitive data in a private forum. Using Elastic, they were able to associate and separate data in real time with cutting-edge accuracy, proving that even the most sensitive data structures can be handled with perfection.
Read and watch the pitch.

3. Git push-force — Search-comète (honourable mention)

This team delivered a masterclass in handling big data with a beautiful graphical interface.

How they used Elastic: They managed extensive datasets spanning decades — we’re talking about sliding toggles that could separate academic reports from the 1970s all the way to 2026. They made massive amounts of information simple to categorise and lightning-fast to search.
Read and watch the pitch.

A bright future ahead

To the Hot Steppers and our other honourable mentions, we want to say a massive congratulations for nailing it. These students represent a new generation of developers in which AI is attached to everything.

The skills they displayed at UNIHACK 2026 are exactly what the industry needs, and I am confident they will have a significant impact on our work environment in the years to come. We are already looking forward to seeing what they build next!