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UP Data Science Society
PJDSC 2026 teaser poster: "Look closer. The answers aren't always obvious. Sometimes, they're hidden in the patterns." with a dotted DNA helix.

Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge 2026

  • PJDSC
  • Public

Hybrid

The 2026 Philippine Junior Data Science Challenge runs under the theme “Trace the Pattern, Target the Cure: Advancing Public Health Through Data Science.” Teams work on public health analytics: monitoring disease outbreaks, predicting health risks, improving healthcare delivery, and distributing resources. The challenge asks how data analytics can produce practical tools that improve disease prevention, support early intervention, and strengthen healthcare systems.

Who can join

Teams of three to five senior high school or tertiary students from any school or university in the Philippines. Members need not come from the same school. UP DSSoc members may compete unless they sit on the Executive Board, serve as Vice-Directors, or manage PJDSC 2026.

Registration

Registration opened on September 21, 2026 and closed on September 30, 2026 with 40 teams registered, the cap for this edition.

  • Early registration, September 21 to 25: 20 slots with a quota of five teams each for NCR, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Fee of PHP 300 per member.
  • Regular registration, September 28 to 30: 20 slots, first come, first served, any region. Fee of PHP 350 per member.

Payment deadlines were September 26 for early registrants and October 3 for regular registrants. Fees are non-refundable.

Timeline

  • October 10, 2026. Event launch, online. Orientation and dataset release. At least one member of each team must attend. Concept proposal submissions open at midnight.
  • October 12, 2026. Concept proposal deadline, 11:59 PM. A five-page written proposal covering the public health problem, the methodology, and the solution architecture.
  • October 17, 2026. Project development workshop. Data pipelines, predictive modeling for public health, and dashboard design.
  • October 24, 2026. Final project deadline, 11:59 PM. A presentation deck of up to 20 slides, a three-minute demo video, and a GitHub repository.
  • November 4, 2026. Top 10 finalists announced on the PJDSC social media pages and by email to each team.
  • November 7, 2026. Advanced workshop and mentorship, online. Every finalist team is assigned a mentor. Other teams may attend the workshop but not the mentorship sessions.
  • November 14, 2026. Final round in Quezon City. Each finalist gives a 10-minute stage presentation followed by a 10-minute Q&A with the judges, and staffs a demonstration station for the audience.

Judging and prizes

Finalists are judged on demonstrated functionality and technical robustness, impact and real-world applicability, user experience and design, presentation and communication, and the reliability of their sources. Prizes: PHP 25,000 with a trophy for first place, PHP 15,000 for second, and PHP 10,000 for third, all with certificates.

Finalist code and datasets are published with credit to each team member in the PJDSC-Datasets repository, as in previous editions.

Sponsors and partners

Co-presented by Apper Cloud Labs, 999 Venture Studio, and the UP Intelligent Systems Center, in cooperation with Data Engineering Pilipinas and Philippine Consortium Inc., and also brought to you by Junior Achievement of the Philippines, Inc.

Official media partners: COPE UP, Tekkie Pinas, UST Technovation Society, UP Computer Science Guild, Ateneo Mathematics Society, PUP Association of DOST Scholars, DOST SA UP Cebu, UP Simantikos Statistical Society, Alliance of Computer Science Students UPLB, JISSA TIP QC, Philippine Alliance of Patient Organizations, Engineers for Genuine Change (ENGAGE UP), and UE Data Science Society.

Links

Query console

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