Cursor Hackathon Sudbury Register →
Saturday, June 27 · Laurentian University, Sudbury ON

Cursor Hackathon
Sudbury 2026

Build the North

An AI-focused building competition tackling the real opportunities and challenges of Northern Ontario. Everything you need: registration, Discord, tool setup, credits, and submission, all in one place.

Register on Luma → 👥 Submit Your Team 💬 Join the Discord
Jun 27
Event Day
3 Tracks
Build the North
180+
Builders Registered
All Levels
No Experience Needed
Pick your challenge

Competition tracks

Three tracks focused on real opportunities and challenges across Northern Ontario. Choose one and build a prototype that makes an impact.

🌲 Sustainable Northern Ontario

Environmental and climate solutions for the North: energy, conservation, and resilient communities.

🏥 Health, Safety & Community Well-Being

Healthcare and quality-of-life improvements that strengthen safety and well-being across the region.

⛏️ Mining & Industrial Innovation

Safer, smarter industrial operations, bringing AI to one of the North's defining industries.

The event includes Cursor credits, refreshments, networking, mentorship, and hands-on support to help you build AI-powered prototypes.
What you'll use

Main tools

A focused toolkit for building and shipping fast. Most offer free credits or access for the event.

🖱️ Cursor

The AI code editor for the hackathon, generate, explain, debug, and ship code.

Open Cursor →

💜 Lovable

Build web apps, dashboards, and prototypes quickly by describing what you want.

Open Lovable →

🕸️ Apify

Web automation, scraping, and data workflows to feed your AI apps.

Open Apify →

🎙️ Valsea / Valencia API

Voice, audio, and speech-based AI features for your project.

Open Valsea →

🏆 Devpost

Where final projects are submitted. The official event link comes from the organizers.

Open Devpost →

💬 Discord

Announcements, questions, support, and team communication throughout the event.

Join Discord →
Who's evaluating

Meet the judges

A panel of founders, engineers, and data scientists from across Northern Ontario's tech, mining, and healthcare communities.

Dr. Charles Ramcharan
Dr. Charles Ramcharan
Founder, Tunik

Dr. Ramcharan earned all three of his degrees in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Toronto before academic careers in Wisconsin, New Brunswick, Germany, and Louisiana, finally settling at Laurentian University in Sudbury. He left Laurentian in 2021 to pursue his startup, Tunik, which makes water-quality devices that can be deployed autonomously, a feat requiring real innovation. Tunik now has five international patents pending, and a joint venture with Makk Designs of Midland, Ontario will bring it to market this fall.

Brent Ritchie
Brent Ritchie
Senior Systems Analyst & Developer, Glencore · Founder, Lighthouse Analytics · Professor, Cambrian College

Brent brings 20 years of experience bridging industrial data management and modern software architecture. At Glencore's Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations he operationalizes knowledge graphs and machine learning to optimize manufacturing. As founder of Lighthouse Analytics, he applies knowledge engineering and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to break down industrial data silos. He also teaches mobile and web development at Cambrian College and is an active participant in the W3C CSS and HTML Working Groups and the WICG Open-UI Working Group, with a deep focus on .NET, Kotlin Multiplatform, and graph databases like Neo4j.

Rakshitha M. Rodrigo
Rakshitha M. Rodrigo
Software Engineer, Becker Mining Systems Canada

A seasoned software engineer with a strong background in iOS development, Rakshitha has worked on projects that push the boundaries of innovation, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality solutions and leading talented engineering teams. A passionate advocate for innovation and space exploration, he stays at the forefront of emerging technologies and loves collaborating with like-minded people to push the boundaries of what's possible.

Adrián Hermoza-Bayona
Adrián Hermoza-Bayona
Data Scientist, Canadian Shield Health Care Services Inc.

Adrián is a Data Scientist and Development Team Lead at Canadian Shield Health Care Services. With years of experience in the healthcare industry, he specializes in data science, artificial intelligence, and technology product development, building impactful AI solutions while prioritizing data governance, information security, and data privacy. He brings a technical perspective centered on innovation, feasibility, responsible AI, security, and real-world impact.

Here to help you build

Mentors

Experienced professors and practitioners on hand throughout the event to guide teams, unblock problems, and help turn ideas into working prototypes.

Prof. Nathan Abourbih
Prof. Nathan Abourbih
Program Coordinator & Professor, Cambrian College

Based in Sudbury, Nathan is a Program Coordinator and Professor at Cambrian College, where he studied Computer Systems Technology. He brings experience from roles across the Rainbow District School Board, Testmark Laboratories, and TWA Solutions / The Web Architect, with a skill set spanning leadership, management, product development, business strategy, and project management.

Dr. Reza Dibaj
Dr. Reza Dibaj
Professor of Data Science, Cambrian College

Dr. Dibaj is a Professor of Data Science at Cambrian College and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Toronto Metropolitan University. His expertise spans machine learning, deep learning, data science, and real-world AI applications. With extensive experience across academia and industry, he is passionate about mentoring students, solving practical challenges with AI, and helping teams transform innovative ideas into impactful solutions.

What you're competing for

Prizes

Up to $2,000+ in prizes and credits

Top projects across every track take home overall placements, plus a set of special awards for standout work in specific areas.

Overall placements

1st Place Overall

Awarded to the strongest overall project across all three tracks.

2nd Place Overall

Runner-up for the best overall project of the hackathon.

3rd Place Overall

Third place among all projects across every track.

Special prize tracks

Best Use of Nemotron

Win NVIDIA Brev credits. Nemotron is an open model family for reasoning, code, and agentic tasks.

Explore Nemotron on GitHub →

Best Use of TiDB

For the best project built on TiDB by PingCAP.

Best Use of Valsea

Win Valsea API credits for the best voice or audio experience built with Valsea.

Best UI / UX

Cambrian swag for the most polished, intuitive, and delightful interface.

Before the event

Start here

Complete these steps before the hackathon so you're ready to build from the moment you arrive.

Register on Luma, secure your spot for the event.
Join the Discord channel, all updates and support happen here.
Submit your team using the team registration form.
Install Cursor, the AI code editor we'll use.
Create a Cursor account.
Create a Lovable account.
Create an Apify account.
Create a Valsea / Valencia API account.
Create or sign in to Devpost.

What to bring

💻 Laptop 🔌 Charger ⌨️ Cursor installed 📝 Devpost account 💡 A project idea, dataset, or problem
Step by step

Tool setup guide

How to set up each of the main tools for the hackathon.

01 Cursor

Cursor is the AI code editor we'll use during the hackathon.

Create a Cursor account

  1. Go to Cursor.
  2. Click Sign in or Get started.
  3. Create an account using email, Google, or another sign-in option.
  4. Download Cursor: Cursor Downloads.
  5. Install Cursor, then open it and sign in.

Start a project

  • Option A: New local project: create a folder, open it in Cursor, and start creating files (README, main app file, frontend/backend folders, team notes).
  • Option B: Existing folder: open it in Cursor and ask Cursor to help you understand, improve, or debug it.

Good Cursor prompts

  • Create a simple project structure for this hackathon idea.
  • Explain this error and suggest a fix.
  • Help me connect this API key safely.
  • Create a short project description for Devpost.
  • Review this project and tell me what could break during the demo.
Important: don't blindly accept AI-generated code. Read it, test it, and make sure you understand what it does.

02 Lovable

Lovable helps you quickly create web apps, dashboards, and prototypes.

  1. Go to Lovable and create an account or sign in.
  2. Start a new project and describe what you want to build.
  3. Use Lovable to generate, edit, and improve your app.

Great for

Landing pagesDashboardsDemo appsInternal toolsQuick prototypes

03 Apify

Apify handles web scraping, automation, data collection, and agent workflows.

  1. Go to Apify and create an account or sign in.
  2. Open the Apify Console and create or use an Actor.
  3. Get your API token from account settings and store it safely in your project.

Great for

Collecting web dataAutomating browsersMonitoring sitesData pipelines

04 Valsea / Valencia API

Use Valsea / Valencia API for voice, audio, or related AI features.

  1. Go to Valsea Billing and sign in or create an account.
  2. Choose the Free plan.
  3. Open API Keys in the sidebar and create or copy your key.
  4. Store the key safely in your project.
Free plan: includes 55 minutes one-time with a hard cap, requests stop once credits are exhausted.
🔐 API key safety: never paste private API keys into public documents, screenshots, or shared chats. Keep them inside your own project environment only.
Free for participants

Credits & API access

How to activate the credits and API access available during the hackathon. Event codes are shared with registered participants, please don't share them outside the event.

🖱️ Cursor Credits

Claim your Cursor referral credits at the event. Enter the email you registered with and you'll be taken straight to your Cursor link. Credits are limited and given first come, first served, so claim early.

Claim your Cursor credits →
One link per registered guest. Use the same email you registered with on Luma. If your email isn't found or credits run out, see an organizer.

🎙️ Valsea / Valencia API

  1. Go to Valsea Billing and sign in or create an account.
  2. On the Billing page, choose the Free plan (includes 55 minutes one-time).
  3. Open API Keys in the sidebar and create or copy your key.
  4. Use that key in your project with the Valencia API.
  5. Track usage under Billing or Analytics.
The Free plan has a hard cap, so requests stop once credits are exhausted.

💜 Lovable Credits

Lovable gives participants Pro Plan 1 with 100 credits at no cost, unlocking all Pro Plan 1 features for the duration of the plan.

How to apply the event access

  1. Go to Lovable. New users click Get started; existing users go to Settings → Plans & Credits.
  2. Select Pro Plan 1 with 100 credits.
  3. Choose the monthly plan.
  4. At checkout, enter the discount code below and complete checkout.
Lovable discount code
COMM-CURS-7ACB
The code must be redeemed by the end of the event and should not be shared with anyone outside the event. Already have a paid Lovable account? Create a new workspace to redeem the event access. You may be asked for payment details, but you have one month to cancel, you can cancel as soon as it's activated.

🕸️ Apify Credits

Apify is supporting the event with $30 in Apify platform credits per participant, redeemable with the event coupon code.

Apply the coupon code

  1. In Apify, go to Billing → Subscription.
  2. Scroll to Special offers and click Add promo code.
  3. Enter the code below, then save and confirm it applied.
Apify coupon code
BUILDWITHAPIFY

Create an API token

  1. In Apify Console, go to Settings.
  2. Open API & Integrations.
  3. Copy your API token and store it safely in your project.
Redemptions are limited and first come, first served. The event coupon code is shared with registered participants during the event. Please don't share it outside the event.
⚠️ Do not share event discount codes or private access information outside the hackathon.
Devpost

Submitting your project

Final projects are submitted on Devpost at the official event page.

📦 What to submit

  • Project name & team name
  • Team members
  • Short project description
  • Problem being solved & solution overview
  • Tools used
  • Demo link, video, or screenshots
  • What's working & what's in progress

📝 Describe your project

Your description should answer:

  • What problem are you solving?
  • Who does this help?
  • What did you build & how does it work?
  • Which tools did you use?
  • What's working now?
  • What would you improve with more time?

🎬 Demo tips

Keep it short, clear, and focused. A good demo shows the problem, the solution, the working prototype, the tools used, and the impact. Don't over-explain, show what works.

✅ Before submitting

✓Clear project name
✓All team members listed
✓Demo link / screenshots work
✓Tools used are mentioned
✓No private API keys exposed
✓Submitted before the deadline
Open Devpost →
Questions

Frequently asked

Can't find your answer? Ask in the Discord channel or talk to an organizer during the event.

When and where is the event?
The event is on Saturday, June 27, 2026 in Sudbury, Canada.
Where do I register?
Register on Luma: Register on Luma.
Where do I get event updates?
All important updates are shared through Discord. Please join the Discord before the event.
Do I need to join Discord?
Yes. Discord is used for announcements, schedule updates, team formation, tool setup help, submission reminders, and questions during the hackathon. Join the Discord.
Do I need a GitHub account?
No. Participants don't need a GitHub account, the event uses Devpost for project submissions.
Do I need a Devpost account?
Yes. Devpost is used for final submission. Register and submit at the official event page.
Do I need Cursor installed and an account?
Yes to both. Download Cursor and create an account before the event.
Do I need to know how to code?
You don't need to be an expert. Cursor and the other tools can help you build, debug, and explain code. Teams are encouraged to work together.
Can I use AI tools?
Yes, you're encouraged to use Cursor and other AI tools. Just make sure you understand and test the code you use.
How do I activate Lovable credits?
Follow the Lovable instructions in the Credits & API Access section. The event discount code is shared with registered participants during the event and should not be shared outside it.
How do I activate Apify credits?
Follow the Apify instructions in the Credits & API Access section. If an event code is available, it's shared with registered participants.
What does the Valsea / Valencia Free plan include?
The Free plan includes 55 minutes one-time with a hard cap, so requests stop once credits are exhausted.
Should I share my API keys?
No. Never share API keys publicly. Keep them private and store them safely in your own project.
What should my team submit?
Submit on Devpost. At minimum: project name, team members, short description, a working demo or prototype, demo link / video / screenshots if available, and a list of tools used.
Can I work alone or join a team at the event?
You can work alone (unless organizers announce a different team rule), and you can form or join teams during the event.
Can I start with an existing idea?
Yes, you can bring an idea, but the main building should happen during the hackathon.
Made possible by

Sponsors & partners

Presented by the Cursor Sudbury, Canada community, with support from these partners.

Sponsors

Key Logic Software Solutions The Foundry / La Fonderie

Supporting partners

Cursor TiDB by PingCAP Apify ElevenLabs Lovable NVIDIA Valsea AI

Ready to build the North?

Register, submit your team, join the Discord, and set up your tools. We'll see you on June 27.

Register on Luma → 👥 Submit Your Team 💬 Join the Discord