--- title: "Building AI for Decarbonisation: Inside the GreenSpark Hackathon and its $40,000 prize pool | Spacecubed" description: GreenSpark Hackathon brought together 17 teams to develop AI-powered solutions for Australia's green economy, with $40,000 in prizes awarded to innovative startups tackling real-world challenges. image: https://blog.spacecubed.com/hubfs/Misc%20banners%20(30).png --- [![SC\_Primary-Horizontal\_Colour\_Light](https://blog.spacecubed.com/hubfs/SC_Primary-Horizontal_Colour_Light.svg)](https://www.spacecubed.com/) - [Locations](https://www.spacecubed.com/locations) - [Programs](https://www.spacecubed.com/programs) - [Ecosystem](https://www.spacecubed.com/ecosystem) - [Capital](https://www.spacecubed.com/capital) - [Resources](https://www.spacecubed.com/resources) - [About](https://www.spacecubed.com/about) [Contact](https://www.spacecubed.com/contact) [Member Login](https://os.spacecubed.com/login/) - [Locations](https://www.spacecubed.com/locations) - [Programs](https://www.spacecubed.com/programs) - [Ecosystem](https://www.spacecubed.com/ecosystem) - [Capital](https://www.spacecubed.com/capital) - [Resources](https://www.spacecubed.com/resources) - [About](https://www.spacecubed.com/about) [Member Login](https://platform.spacecubed.com/) ← Back to Blog [Perth](https://blog.spacecubed.com/tag/perth) ![Spacecubed GreenSpark Hackathon 2026 Challenge 2 winners, Weaponised Nerds, celebrating their $15,000 prize alongside GreenTech Hub representatives at Riff in Perth.](https://blog.spacecubed.com/hubfs/Misc%20banners%20(30).png) # Building AI for Decarbonisation: Inside the GreenSpark Hackathon and its $40,000 prize pool By Ciaran Overend 12 November 2026 On 30 October, 17 teams took to the stage at Riff to pitch solutions they'd spent the previous two weeks building, testing and refining. Delivered by Spacecubed in partnership with [GreenTech Hub](https://greentechwa.com/) and the [WA Data Science Innovation Hub (WADSIH)](https://wadsih.org.au/), GreenSpark brought together engineers, developers, data scientists, students and founders to tackle challenges across construction, energy and industrial decarbonisation using AI. From launch day to the final pitch Following [Launch Day](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7516663286613061632) on 15 October, teams spent two weeks developing their ideas, testing them with potential customers and working alongside industry mentors. A Customer Validation Day on 16 October and a Q&A Customer Checkpoint on 23 October gave participants opportunities to gather feedback and refine their solutions ahead of the final Pitch Day. By the final pitches, 17 teams had developed functional prototypes and collectively reached out to more than 50 potential customers across the greentech sector. Meet the GreenSpark winners With $40,000 in prizes on offer, three teams took home the Grand Prizes. **Dr MM (Max Galettis, Michael Nefiodovas, David Adams and Reuben Stanley) – $15,000** Taking on the [Zenith Energy](https://zenithenergy.com.au/) challenge, Dr MM developed ParcelDoctor, a tool designed to help energy developers navigate scattered project information and answer three key questions: where can a project be built, what approvals are needed, and does the project stack up? The team successfully negotiated two customer purchase agreements for their prototype solution during the hackathon. **Weaponised Nerds (Michelle Wong, Jason Milne, Steven Glaston, Harry Leaney and Callum Glaston) – $15,000** The team developed software integrations to orchestrate batteries, supporting households, microgrids and WA's energy grid. Made up of CoderDojo mentors and young coders, the team showed what’s possible when experienced and emerging developers build together. As Michelle put it, “There were some amazing solutions and the competition was tight.” **ERVEI (Sharka, Chris Thway, Sam Wee and Rowan Worth)  – $10,000** Taking on the [Rennie Advisory](https://www.rennieadvisory.com.au/) challenge, the four ERVEI team members met at the hackathon and spent two weeks building a dashboard together. As team member Sharka put it, “Extremely diverse teams can, in fact, produce brilliant results.” The judges also recognised three runner-up teams: Palm Tree, Should We and Care Ahead. All six teams have been invited to join the GreenTech Cohort to continue developing their ideas beyond the hackathon. What happens next? GreenTech Hub will work with the winning and runner-up teams on customer discovery and development plans, while Spacecubed will provide three months in the [Spacecubed Founder Program](https://hello.spacecubed.com/founder-program). The three Grand Prize Winners will also have access to a Plus Eight Accelerator bootcamp next year. Throughout the hackathon, participants received more than 16 hours of in-person mentoring from GreenTech Hub, Spacecubed, Civic Hackers and challenge sponsors Rennie Advisory and Zenith Energy. For GreenTech Hub Director [Jason McFarlane](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-mcfarlane-a2043021/), the collaboration between participants and industry mentors was a key part of what made the program valuable. “What stood out throughout GreenSpark was not only the calibre of the teams, but also the commitment of the industry mentors who invested their time and expertise to help shape and strengthen each solution. That collaboration between innovators and industry is what turns promising ideas into practical outcomes” Civic Hackers' [Tim Sondalini](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-sondalini/) also recognised the progress made by participants over the two weeks. “GreenSpark was a brilliant event that brought new entrepreneurs to an important problem space. The work of our participants over two weeks was incredible - every team developed a functional prototype and tested them with potential customers. The winning teams have not only developed innovative solutions but they have also identified a market gap. I can’t wait to see how they grow and explore their new ventures.” A huge thank you to the mentors, judges, industry partners and every participant who brought their time and ideas to GreenSpark. From prototypes and customer conversations to new opportunities for growth, GreenSpark showed what can happen when emerging talent and industry come together to tackle challenges shaping a greener future for WA. 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