Students from software Meister high schools across the country are set to test their artificial intelligence (AI) and software (SW) development skills beyond school boundaries.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, announced that it will hold the 2026 Software Meister High School Joint Hackathon at the Hidden Bay Hotel in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, from November 4 to 6.
A hackathon is an event in which participants form teams, develop ideas, and build software within a limited time. Sixty students selected from five SW Meister high schools—Daedeok, Daegu, Gwangju, Busan, and Gyeongbuk—will take part in this competition.
◆ 12 Teams Breaking Down School Boundaries
Participants will form 12 mixed-school teams and work together on projects over three days and two nights. The aim is to help students meeting for the first time collaborate from planning and development through to presenting their results, building not only their technical skills but also their problem-solving abilities and teamwork experience.
A group of around 10 mentors, including practicing developers and SW Meister high school graduates, will also take part. Students will receive technical advice during development and have the opportunity to learn from their mentors’ professional experience.
This year, recruitment, mentoring, project submissions, and sharing of results have been integrated into a dedicated hackathon platform to improve operational efficiency.
On the final day, November 6, each team will present and demonstrate its project. Representatives from participating companies and outside experts will evaluate technical quality, innovation and creativity, and teamwork. A total of eight teams will receive awards, including one Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Award and two President of the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation Awards.
◆ From Silicon Valley Jobs to International Competition Awards
SW Meister high schools are specialized educational institutions that train students from high school onward to become software professionals equipped with skills required by industry.
The MSIT launched its support program in 2014. With the opening of Gyeongbuk SW Meister High School last year, following schools in Daedeok (2015), Daegu (2016), Gwangju (2017), and Busan (2021), the program now includes five schools nationwide.
Students have recently achieved success in both domestic and international employment and technology competitions. Since last year, students have been selected for two consecutive years in the information-processing field of the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s “Outstanding Technical Talent of Korea Master” (Giteukhan Master) program. They also won the top prize at the SILI·AX Technology Exhibition, hosted by Ajin Industrial, competing alongside university students and industry professionals.
Students are also pursuing opportunities overseas. For four consecutive years, starting in 2023, graduates have found jobs in Silicon Valley in the United States. A student research paper was formally accepted at the international academic conference ICTC 2026, and students won a top award in Apple’s 2026 Swift Student Challenge, a global student developer competition.
Nam Cheol-ki, the MSIT’s director general for software policy, said, “In a rapidly changing AI ecosystem, young developers who can skillfully use AI are central to national competitiveness. We will support SW Meister high school students as they learn fast-changing AI technologies through specialized education and grow into AI talent equipped for the workplace.”