Overview

ATS Tunnelthon 2026 is an innovation focused, in person hackathon designed specifically for the Australian tunnelling and geotechnical engineering industry. Organised by the Australian Tunnelling Society Young Members (ATSym), the event brings together industry professionals, researchers, and students to collaborate on real world tunnelling challenges using artificial intelligence, automation, and digital engineering approaches.

Unlike traditional conferences or seminars, Tunnelthon is highly interactive and outcome driven. Participants work in multidisciplinary teams during a structured, time bound session to explore defined problem statements through rapid ideation, collaboration, and solution design. The hackathon format encourages creative thinking, systems based-problem solving, and the practical application of emerging technologies within a professional engineering context.

Participants are expected to commit approximately 12–15 hours of their own time across the week to actively engage in the program.

The event is designed to be accessible to participants with varied technical backgrounds. While familiarity with digital tools is beneficial, no advanced programming or AI expertise is required.

Please refer to the attached document for more information on the program and participation guidelines.

Tunnelthon 2026 – Event Description

Program timeline

NOTE: Tunnelthon is delivered as a two-part hackathon spread across two event days, with an independent working period in between.

Day 1 – 13th August – Problem Definition & Team Formation

5.00pm AEST – Arrival and informal networking

5.30pm AEST – Introduction to the event theme and overview of problem statements

6.00pm AEST – Team formation, brainstorming, development of solution frameworks and work allocation within the team

7.00pm AEST – Submission of team frameworks and work allocation to the organisers

Day 2 – 20th August – Presentations & Judging

2.00pm AEST – Access to shared collaborative workspace at Engineers Australia office for final solution development

5.00pm AEST – Arrival of industry audience

5.30pm AEST – Team presentations and interactive discussions with judges

6.30pm AEST – Judges’ deliberation and announcement of winners and runners‑up

7.30pm AEST – Prize distribution and event close

Learning outcomes

Key outcomes of this event are:

• Gain exposure to innovative, practical approaches to tunnelling related challenges
• Develop an understanding of how AI, automation, and digital engineering tools can be applied in tunnelling projects
• Strengthen collaboration and systems thinking skills through multidisciplinary teamwork
• Increase professional visibility and confidence in presenting technical ideas