Solve a Parramatta city challenge or your own with AI. Build at Maker Space PHIVE with Google on Sat 7 Nov. Finalists pitch 20 Nov.About this Event
WSTI Festi 2026: Build with AI Innovation Challenge
Solve a real challenge with AI, set by City of Parramatta or one of your own, compete for prizes and pitch your solution on the festival stage. No coding background needed. If you can describe what you want to build, AI will help you build it. And we will help you gain the essential skills to use AI to achieve this.
How it works
The challenge launches at the WSTI Festi Opening Night on Thursday 5 November. Pick one of two tracks:
- City Challenge: real-world challenges set by City of Parramatta and WSTI
- Open Innovation: bring your own challenge, from your business, your industry or your community. Innovators, this is the place to build the idea you want to turn into a business
Every team, in person or online, joins through the WSTI Festi hackathon portal, where the challenges are published and teams form.
One rule for both tracks: build from scratch. Bring a problem or an idea, but not an existing project or product. Everything you submit must be built during the challenge, from 5 to 17 November.
Choose how you take part
- Build Day, Sat 7 Nov, $15 (this page): at Maker Space PHIVE with Google. Antigravity sessions led by Brett Morgan, plus hands-on mentoring
- Build Day, Sat 14 Nov, $15 (book here): at Western Sydney Startup Hub with WSTI mentors
- Online, free (book here): build from anywhere.
Both Build Days give you the same two tracks and a full day to build with mentors in the room. Come to one, or book both.
Every ticket dollar goes back into the challenge: prizes for participants, event costs and our volunteers.
From launch to the big stage
- Thu 5 Nov: the challenge launches at the WSTI Festi Opening Night
- Sat 7 or Sat 14 Nov: your Learn and Build Day, at Maker Space PHIVE (7 Nov) or Western Sydney Startup Hub (14 Nov)
- Tue 17 Nov, 11:59 PM: submissions close. Submit a 90-second video pitch, a landing page and a working prototype
- Thu 19 Nov, by noon: finalists announced
- Fri 20 Nov: finalists pitch at the WSTI Festi Pitch Night
- Sat 21 Nov: winners and finalists showcase to government, industry, business leaders, investors and local communities at the Grand Festival Day
Build Day run of the day, Sat 7 Nov
- Welcome and opening, Lailei Huang, WSTI
- Google Antigravity and beginner vibe coding, Brett Morgan, Google
- The two tracks: City Challenge and Open Innovation
- Form or join your team on the hackathon portal
- Build session 1
- Lunch break
- Advanced vibe coding: creating agent skills in Antigravity, Brett Morgan, Google
- Build session 2: practise and polish
- Demo and feedback
- What's next: submissions close Tue 17 Nov
What you get
- Hands-on time with Google Antigravity, from your first prompt to a working app
- How to create agent skills, which automate the everyday tasks every business has
- Mentoring from Brett Morgan and the WSTI team through both build sessions
- Lunch on your Build Day (in person)
- A real shot at prizes, a pitch on the festival stage and a showcase booth
- Networking with Western Sydney's largest grassroots AI community, 4,000+ members strong
Who should come
You do not need a tech background. What you know about your field is the most valuable thing you can bring.
- Business owners and professionals from any field, such as health, finance, education, property, trades or community services, who want the skills to create with AI
- Founders and startups
- University students, recent graduates and young people
- Developers, designers and creatives curious about building with AI
- Anyone who wants to go from "I have an idea" to "I built it"
What to bring
- A laptop (essential)
- A Google account
- Your own challenge for the Open Innovation track, or pick a City Challenge on the day
- Joining online? A stable internet connection
With
WSTI · Investment NSW · Google · City of Parramatta · Western Sydney Startup Hub
Part of WSTI Festi 2026, Western Sydney's first grassroots AI festival, 5 to 21 November in Parramatta. See more: wsti.org.au/wsti-festi
Notice of Photography and Filming
By entering this event, you acknowledge that photography, audio, and video recording may occur. Your attendance constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of such media for promotional purposes by Western Sydney Tech Innovators (WSTI). If you prefer not to be photographed or recorded, please inform a WSTI team member upon arrival. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Everyone is welcome, from in and around Parramatta and beyond. When you register, we ask for the postcode where you live, work or study, only for our statistics. If you have one in the City of Parramatta, please use it.
Event venue
PHIVE, 5 Parramatta Square, Parramatta, Australia
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