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A team of University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) students and alumni captured first place at the Vibe Coding Hackathon during Honolulu Tech Week on September 13 at the Entrepreneurs Sandbox. The four-member team of Kai Garcia (team leader), Aris Carlos, Sage Suzuki and Lenox Covington won the $3,000 top prize for building a website for Honolulu Tech Week organizers that made it easier for them to plan and manage events.
The site lets event hosts fill in details step by step, instead of completing one long form all at once. They can return at any time to update information as plans change. The project included AI-powered tools to help suggest venues and draft event descriptions, as well as a chatbot assistant built using OpenAI's API to support users through the application process. Once an application is submitted, Honolulu Tech Week staff can review and approve it through a separate dashboard.
Staying true to the hackathon's "Vibe Coding" theme, the team built nearly the entire project using AI. They relied on platforms such as Lovable, ChatGPT and Claude to design, code and combine their work. It was the first time all four members used AI so extensively in a competition.
The team also completed their project in just 3.5 hours, emphasizing speed, collaboration and innovative problem-solving under pressure.
"We were proud to represent not only UH but Hawaiʻi's local talent in this competition," Garcia said. "This experience gave us the chance to prove our ability to quickly learn and use unfamiliar tools under pressure while showcasing how innovation is being driven forward here in Hawaiʻi."
The Vibe Coding Hackathon challenged participants to create and present a web app in a short timeframe after receiving a surprise prompt. The fast-paced event brought together students, professionals, investors and hobbyists for a showcase of creativity and technical skill.
By securing first place, the ICS team not only earned prize money, but also demonstrated how AI tools are opening new possibilities for collaboration and innovation in software development.
ICS is housed in UH Mānoa's College of Natural Sciences.
