2026 Hub City Innovation Cup
Registration open to all Union University, Freed-Hardeman University, Lane College, UofM Lambuth, and TCAT students. Sponsored by Union University McAfee School of Business, Lane College, UofM Lambuth, The Jackson Chamber, theCO, and JEA. Prizes totaling $5,000.
Register for the 2026 Competition
2026 Dates & Location
This event will kick off at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 22 at the JEA Training Center (320 Highway 45 By-Pass Jackson, TN 38301). Teams will have two weeks to develop their ideas and work within their teams. Final presentations will be made on Thursday, February 5 at the JEA Training Center.
Objective
Theme: "How to use technology to improve (BLANK) in Jackson, TN"
Using the theme of the competition, work with your team to develop a concept for an application that makes life better in Jackson, Tennessee.
Prizes
- 1st place: $3,000
- 2nd place: $1,500
- 3rd place: $500
- People's Choice: $1,000 (Benefiting local non-profit)
Competition Details
Register below by Friday, January 16, 2026 (midnight)
- Team size: 3-6 people
- Open to all undergraduate students from participating schools.
- The competition is a Hackathon concept. The objective and theme will be presented during the kickoff event on January 22 to all participating teams. Teams have two weeks to develop their ideas. Teams will present their ideas in the final presentations to a panel of judges on February 5.
- At least one member of each team should be present at the kickoff event, Thursday, January 22 at 4:00 pm at JEA's Training Center.
- Final presentations on February 5 should be no longer than 7 minutes per team. All team members must be present. Winners will be announced following the presentations.