SMXi at Hackabury 2025: Showcasing Practical Software Skills

SMXi Software partnered with Romax Digital to support Hackabury 2025, Canterbury Christ Church University’s first Hackathon and Games Jam. The partnership underscored collaboration between academia and industry, giving teams real‑world challenges and expert backing for their projects.

Brief and Sponsor Challenges

Participants tackled challenges set by the nine official sponsors: Romax Digital, Southeastern, Holiday Extras, Wave Community Bank, Barclays LifeSkills, Dovetail Games, Google, Hootsuite and the British Computing Society.

Solution Overview

One team produced an interactive sign‑up flow using React for the front end and Express.js for the API. Tailwind CSS allowed rapid styling, while Prisma and SQLite formed the database layer. The result is a framework where front‑end components query the back end for custom display rules.

Development Journey

Stakeholder interviews produced user stories that guided the build. Quick sketches became wireframes and then React components.

Express routes supplied data, and Prisma managed schema migrations. Endpoints were tested with Postman, and the API was documented for later developers.

Lessons Learned

Working against the clock showed the need for clear version control and modular code. Git workflows were refined, with feature branches and pull‑request checks set up.

Outcomes and Recognition

Judges praised the polished proof of concept and clear documentation. Alumni judge Oliver Bryant noted the professionalism and technical skill on display, saying that students created polished applications, diagrams and presentations in a short time.

Two teams received follow‑up invitations: workshops at Holiday Extras HQ and project collaborations with Barclays Eagle Labs. These opportunities show how hackathon prototypes can open doors to industry links.