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ANZ HackNow 2026
ANZ HackNow 2026
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Welcome to ANZ HackNow 2026!

Ideate. Design. Build.

Our premier partner hackathon is back — bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than ever.

New theme. New collaborators. Two days - one challenge. It's time to make your mark in Sydney!

Register your team and be part of something that matters!

You are invited to be a part of ANZ HackNow 2026!

Where top practitioners from across the ANZ partner ecosystem come together to build real AI solutions on the ServiceNow platform.

This year we're doing something special. Under our "Education & Future Workforce" theme, your team will collaborate with university students and the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) to build AI Agents - bridging industry expertise with fresh academic thinking. And for the first time, we're going fully immersive with a 2-day on-site format, designed to maximise collaboration, energy, and impact.​​​​​​​

It all culminates in a Grand Finale in Sydney on 29 July - the day before World Forum.

Register your team
Register for Sydney World Forum!

Why participate?

Build AI Agent skills that matter

AI Agents are redefining how organisations work — and you'll build one. Get hands-on with the NOW Platform's most in-demand capability, applied to a real-world government challenge that goes beyond the hypothetical.

Expand influence and network

Your team is paired with university students — you bring platform expertise, they bring fresh thinking. The new 2-day on-site format means real mentorship from ServiceNow experts. And finally, your solution lands in front of customer executives at the Finale.

Win Big!

Prizes and giveaways for winners and participants — bigger than ever before. Watch this space!

About Digital Transformation Agency

The Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) is the Australian government body driving responsible AI adoption across the public sector. This year, DTA has co-designed the HackNow challenge brief and will have executives on the judging panel at the Grand Finale.

Learn more about the Digital Transformation Agency and their purpose!

What you need to know

From registration through to the live event in Sydney - check out all the details, mark the dates and stay on track.

  • Theme & Challenges

  • Timeline

  • Team Criteria

  • Technology Criteria

  • Evaluation Parameters

Theme: Education & Future Workforce

Industry, education, and government collaborating to build the AI-ready workforce Australia needs. This year's theme is set and endorsed by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) — the Australian government body driving responsible AI adoption across the public sector.

Challenges

Participants can choose one of two challenges to tackle:

Your timeline to the Grand Finale

Team Criteria

Mandatory Course

All team members must mandatorily complete the AI Agents Delivery Accreditation by July 10 to be eligible for next steps of the HackNow.

Mandatory Course

Technology Criteria

All solutions must be built on the ServiceNow platform using the following mandatory capabilities. Solutions not meeting both requirements are ineligible for judging.

Capabillity
Description
Requirement

AI Agent Studio

Primary tool to build, test and deploy autonomous AI Agents that execute multi-step workflows

Mandatory

Now Assist

Conversational front-end

Mandatory

The following capabilities are not mandatory but are encouraged — and their use is rewarded in scoring:

Capabillity
Description
Requirement

AI Control Tower

Centralized governance, monitoring and policy enforcement for all AI Agents

Recommended

Context Engine

Connects enterprise relationships, policy and design history to ground agent decisions

Recommended

MCP Integrations

Governance layer for AI Agent connections via Model Context Protocal

Recommended

Workflow Data Fabric

Connects data across siloed systems into a unified layer for AI consumption

Recommended

Judging takes place in 2 stages:​​​​​​​

Stage 1: Mentor technical evaluation

ServiceNow Solution Consultants, embedded as mentors during the hacking phase, assess each team's build in real-time across July 28–29. Based on their evaluation, 3–5 teams are selected to present to the customer panel.​​​​​​​

Criterion
Description
Weightage

Technical Execution

Depth and quality of agentic AI design; quality and integrity of the build

40%

Use of additional platform capabilities

Intentional use of capabilities beyond the mandatory baseline

30%

Innovation & Creativity

Originality of concept and approach

30%

Stage 2: Exec Judging Panel

Shortlisted teams present their solution to a panel that includes executives from the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) & ServiceNow leadership. The panel evaluates on impact and communication rather than technical depth.

Criterion
Description
Weightage

Presentation & Demo

Clarity, storytelling, and demo quality

40%

Real World Impact

Practicality and deployability of the solution

30%

Innovation & Creativity ​​​​​​​

Originality of concept and approach (scored fresh)

30%

Got questions?

Send us an email at APACPE@servicenow.com

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