The ISE Hackathon brought together sixty university students, selected as finalists from across Europe, to tackle real-world technological challenges in the field of audiovisual innovation. The competition featured three challenge tracks: Sustainability, Innovation, and Cybersecurity. Each track was designed to push creativity and critical thinking to the limit within the professional AV and systems integration industries.
Participants were organized into teams and given a problem to solve in one of the three categories, working with expert mentors from each sponsoring company. These mentors played a crucial role in helping students overcome technical challenges, resolve internal disagreements, and maintain motivation, ensuring that each team remained focused and engaged.
Shaun Reardon, principal cybersecurity consultant at DNV AS, played a key role as a judge in the cybersecurity category of the Hackathon, co-designing the challenge with Hikvision. “The ISE Hackathon gave students an incredible opportunity to showcase their creativity, develop problem-solving skills, and collaborate with like-minded peers,” explained Shaun. “Seeing the young teams grow and achieve results was truly inspiring. In addition to highlighting future stars of the industry, I have no doubt that participating in the ISE Hackathon will open career doors for these students.”
Each team presented their solutions on the Innovation Park Pitching Stage at ISE, and the winning teams were announced at the closing ceremony. The winners received medals and trophies, recognition, networking opportunities, and unique experiences offered by the sponsoring partners.
Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, commented: “The first ISE Hackathon was a resounding success and embodies the ISE spirit of supporting the next generation of AV pioneers. Thanks to our three sponsors, Philips Professional Displays, EIT Culture & Creativity, and Hikvision. We invite more companies to join this initiative to address the talent gap in the AV industry. By getting involved, companies not only support the development of future AV professionals but also gain access to fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. Together, we can build a stronger and more vibrant AV community.”
The winning teams of the ISE Hackathon 2025 were:
Sustainability: Thea Kjønstad Johnsen, Shiba Elise Pakzamir, Erik Heimstad Tangen and Danilo Milicevic, representing Esade University, Barcelona.
Innovation: Nora Marthinsen, Kaja Jæger, Julia Conradsen and Helena Fossum, representing Esade and BI Norwegian Business School.
Cybersecurity: Anora Azimora, Elizaveta Earstova and Veronika Borysiuk, representing EU Business School.
“Participating in the ISE Hackathon was fantastic and gave us the perfect opportunity to explore career options, the transition to the corporate world, and how to navigate life after university. I would recommend others participate in the ISE Hackathon: it’s a unique opportunity to push yourself, meet new people, and discover career possibilities. Even if you don’t win, you gain valuable experience and a broader network,” explained Danilo Milicevic, from the winning team in the Sustainability category. “This experience has made me much more confident and open to new opportunities. Before the Hackathon, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do, but now I realize there are many paths I hadn’t even considered. Sometimes what you end up doing isn’t what you originally planned, and that’s okay. This experience opened my eyes to possibilities I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered.”
The winning team in the Sustainability category was invited to visit PPDS headquarters in Amsterdam. This exclusive two-day program allowed the students to gain firsthand knowledge of the operations of a leading brand in the industry and learn more about Philips Professional Displays' approach to sustainability and safety across its product range.
“In addition to the sessions with our teams, we also discussed how careers can be forged—sometimes from unexpected beginnings—and how the focus on sustainability and energy efficiency is shaping not only how we do business and manufacture our products, but also challenging technical minds to delve deeper and break new ground,” said Vicky Fox, Global Communications Director at PPDS. “Our time with Thea, Shiba, Erik, and Danilo has been incredibly rewarding. We will continue to follow their career developments with great interest, and we look forward to meeting next year’s teams at ISE 2026.”
The ISE Hackathon will return at ISE 2026. To register your interest in participating, click HERE . The registration deadline is October 15, 2025.
