Congratulations to all teams who participated in the United Exports and Venture UWA Hack the Harvest agtech hackathon in August 2026.
The event brought together students from a wide range of disciplines to tackle real-world agricultural challenges, culminating in a pitch night at The University of Western Australia (UWA) on 17 August.
The atmosphere was electric as the top five teams presented innovative, impact-focused solutions to challenges facing industry. The WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC) was proud to sponsor the second-place prize, awarded to Team Koality Assurance for its innovative Botrytis detection protocol.
A highlight for WAARC representatives Jenny Crisp and Sue Knights was the strong cross-disciplinary collaboration on display, with students from agriculture, computer science, engineering, mathematics, commerce, law, physics, communications and media, and other fields working together to develop practical industry solutions.
The hackathon began with an immersive on-farm experience at Western Berry, where participants gained firsthand insight into a commercial berry operation and heard from industry about current challenges and opportunities. Teams then spent the weekend developing and refining their ideas before pitching to a judging panel.
WAARC was delighted to support an initiative that drives innovation, collaboration and capacity building across Western Australia’s agriculture and food sector. Events like Hack the Harvest help build the next generation of agricultural innovators by exposing students to industry challenges and encouraging cross-disciplinary problem-solving.
