The sprint ends on 30 June 2026 at 10:00 WAT.
Keep your team aligned around the final deadline, pitch polish, and submission readiness.
Demo Day is here or has started.
Women-led innovation sprint
Building bold products for women, communities, and the future of work.
HER Hackathon is a women-only product sprint by NITHUB, University of Lagos, built for women applying solo or in teams and turning insight into real prototypes across safety, health, financial inclusion, and SME growth.
Empower Her
About the event
A practical innovation sprint built for women who build.
A platform built for women who build. Women have powerful ideas. Many lack access to structured mentorship, technical support, and the visibility to take those ideas further.
The HER Hackathon is NITHUB’s answer to that gap: a practical innovation sprint where ideas become prototypes, and the best products enter NITHUB’s incubation and acceleration pipeline.
Products with strong market potential are considered for NITHUB’s incubation and acceleration programs after Demo Day.
Designed to feel credible for sponsors, motivating for applicants and teams, and deeply rooted in real market needs.
Top three teams receive prizes and fast-track consideration for NITHUB incubation review.
Strong teams leave with a sharper prototype, clearer product story, certificate of participation, and stronger proximity to mentors, judges, and ecosystem operators.
Challenge tracks
Three routes for applicants building solutions with measurable impact.
Each final team selects one challenge track at onboarding and stays focused from sprint kickoff to Demo Day.
Women’s Safety & Health
Create solutions for safer communities, better health access, maternal health, mental wellness, or emergency response for women.
Example solutions
- Safety reporting
- Maternal health
- Mental wellness
- Emergency tools
Financial Inclusion
Design products that help women save, access credit, build businesses, receive payments, or manage money independently.
Example solutions
- Savings tools
- Microloan platforms
- Business management
- Financial literacy
SME Growth
Build products that help small businesses and women-led businesses grow through sales, inventory, payments, bookkeeping, customer management, marketing, logistics, or access to markets.
Example solutions
- Inventory tools
- Bookkeeping
- Customer management
- Business analytics
Built by Her
Built by Her
This section honours the women shaping products, mentoring teams, and proving that thoughtful technology can still feel human.
Live pitch moment
Demo Day presentation in motion
A product walkthrough in front of judges and guests, with one teammate presenting while another navigates the prototype.
Eligibility criteria
Respectful participation rules with clear boundaries for applicants.
Eligibility is designed to protect the purpose of the event while staying inclusive, practical, and non-invasive.
Women and girls only
Open to women and girls aged 16 and above who are based in Nigeria.
Individuals or teams of up to 4
You can apply solo or with a team. Mixed skillsets are welcome, including developers, designers, product managers, researchers, communicators, and business thinkers. Solo applicants without teams will be grouped during onboarding, and every final team must include technical expertise.
Student or professional
Open to current students, graduates within 3 years of completing study, and early-career professionals. All participants must be based in Nigeria.
One track per team
Each final team commits to one challenge track at onboarding and cannot switch after that point.
Availability window
Participants should be available from June 20 to June 30, 2026 in WAT / GMT+1.
Participation benefits
All participants receive a digital certificate of participation after the program.
How It Works
Follow these simple steps to participate in the hackathon and showcase your skills
Timeline
Every milestone, from the call opening to Demo Day.
The event runs from 9 June to 30 June 2026 WAT. Demo Day is intentionally emphasised as the live finish line.
9 June 2026 at 0:00 WAT
Call opens
Applications officially open for women across Nigeria applying solo or with a team.
19 June 2026 at 23:59 WAT
Applications close
All application materials must be submitted before the end of the day.
20 June to 21 June 2026 WAT
Application review and shortlisting
NITHUB reviews applications for fit, readiness, and challenge clarity.
20 June 2026 at 14:00 WAT
Onboarding
Shortlisted applicants receive orientation, final instructions, team grouping where needed, and track confirmation.
21 June to 27 June 2026 WAT
Build sprint
Teams build, refine, and prepare their prototype with support from the ecosystem.
27 June 2026 at 9:00 WAT
Submission portal opens
Participants can begin uploading prototype links, decks, and supporting materials.
28 June 2026 at 23:59 WAT
Submission deadline
Every final deliverable must be submitted by 11:59 PM WAT.
28 June to 29 June 2026 WAT
Final review period
Judges and the NITHUB team review final submissions ahead of presentations.
30 June 2026 at 10:00 WAT
Demo Day
Finalists pitch live, winners are announced, and standout teams enter the incubation conversation.
Prizes
Recognition that rewards execution and creates a path beyond the event.
Over 1 million naira worth of prizes
1st
WinnerTop prize package for the team with the strongest market-ready solution.
- Fast-track incubation review
- Feature spotlight across NITHUB channels
2nd
Recognition for a high-potential product with strong execution and clarity.
- Mentor office hours
- Post-event product advisory support
3rd
Award for an ambitious and promising solution with room to scale.
- Growth feedback session
- Sponsor visibility opportunities
Submission criteria
Everything shortlisted teams must deliver before the final review begins.
The submission window runs from 27 June 2026 at 9:00 WAT to 28 June 2026 at 23:59 WAT.
Working prototype and demo
A functioning prototype or interactive demo that communicates the core product experience.
2-minute pitch deck / slide deck
A concise visual pitch covering the problem, users, solution, and why it matters.
Problem statement
A clear articulation of the challenge, target audience, and the gap being addressed.
Tech stack summary
A short explanation of the technologies, tools, and implementation choices used.
GitHub repository, if applicable
Share your codebase when relevant, with enough context for reviewers to understand it.
Team profile
Introduce the team, roles, and what each member contributed during the sprint.
FAQ
Answers for teams, applicants, and partners.
Who can participate?
The hackathon is open to women and girls aged 16 and above who are based in Nigeria.
Do I need a team before applying?
No. You can apply as an individual or with a full team. Applicants without teams will be grouped during onboarding.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Not everyone on a final team needs to code, but every final team must include at least one member with technical expertise.
Is participation free?
Yes. Participation in HER Hackathon is free for accepted applicants and teams.
What do we build?
Teams build a practical solution in one of the challenge tracks: Women’s Safety & Health, Financial Inclusion, or SME Growth.
What do we submit on Demo Day?
You will submit a working prototype, a 2-minute pitch deck, your problem statement, tech stack summary, GitHub repository if applicable, and a team profile.
Can teams include men?
No. This is a women-only hackathon and final teams should reflect that participation requirement.
What happens to our product after the hackathon?
Products with strong market potential are considered for NITHUB’s incubation and acceleration pipeline after Demo Day.
When does the submission portal open?
The submission portal opens 27 June 2026 at 9:00 WAT.
Registration form
Register as an individual or a team for HER Hackathon.
Start your application whether you are applying solo or with a team. Solo applicants without teams will be grouped during onboarding.