KuickHack · people and possibility
KuickHack
A hackathon where students solve real AI problems in a week and defend a working prototype in front of founders and CTOs. Organised by KuickTech with Margulan University in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan.
Why we run it
Education belongs beside our product work. KuickHack gives emerging engineers a place to test an idea, hear from experienced founders and work toward something people can use. Promising ideas can continue with mentoring and support from KuickTech.
For a company with roots in Pavlodar, it is also a way to contribute to the region’s universities: meaningful problems, practical feedback and a route into professional work.
How it works
- Registration is open to students, master's students and recent graduates, individually or in teams of up to five. Participation is free. Each edition sets its own eligibility; the regulations on kuickhack.com are authoritative.
- Tasks are written by practitioners across education, healthcare, transport, ecology and other domains. In 2025 every task required a meaningful use of AI.
- The week runs online and offline: an opening at the university, a video presentation of the idea, an online prototype review, and a final defence in front of the jury.
- The jury is made up of founders and CTOs of international startups, university leadership and regional IT officials. KuickTech's CEO chairs it.
- Judging covers the quality of the AI in the project, originality, technical implementation, practical value and potential to scale, user experience, and the pitch.
Who is behind it
KuickTech sponsors the hackathon, chairs the jury and, in 2025, organised it as the named supporting IT company. Margulan University (Pavlodar Pedagogical University named after Alkey Margulan) is the formal organiser and host, with its Center for Digitalisation co-running the event. Partners over the years have included Avoloan, Football Pro, iProxy and Push.Express, alongside the Astana Hub community.
For partners and sponsors
Companies join KuickHack as task authors, jury members and sponsors of nominations. If you want to put a real problem in front of motivated students and meet your next hires, write to us.
Editions
| Year | Format | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | kuickhack 2025 · national, online and offline, AI track | SkinX (Astana IT University) |
| 2024 | KuickHack'24 · national, online and offline | Frogrammers (Astana IT University) |
| 2022 | IT Junior · school and student hackathon, Pavlodar region | koz timesin (NIS Pavlodar) |
kuickhack.com · Results 2025 · Tasks 2025 · Regulations · Final recording 2025
KuickHack in the press
A skin-analysis startup wins KuickHack2025-05-14
Inside KuickHack at Margulan University2024-06-22
AI ideas recognised at the Pavlodar hackathon2024-05-06
A winning idea at KuickHack2024-05-06- Pavlodar OnlineInside KuickHack: fleet tools and financial assistance2024-05-04
- Margulan UniversityMargulan University announces the KuickHack winners2024-05-04
- KAFUHackathon KuickHack'242024-05
Margulan University hosts the IT Junior hackathon2022-12-13- Margulan UniversityIT Junior winners announced at Margulan University2022-12-12