2025 BE Smart HBCU Hackathon Marks 10 Years of Innovation

The 2025 BE Smart HBCU Hackathon Celebrates a Decade of Tech Excellence

More than 300 students from 43 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) will showcase their tech talent and compete for jobs at Black Enterprise’s 10th Annual BE Smart Hackathon. Hosted by American Airlines, the Nov. 5-8 coding competition in Charlotte gathers the largest pool of students in the event’s history. This year, there are 310 students from 43 schools forming 62 teams.

Themed “Built Brilliant. Built Different: 10 Years of Elevating Excellence,” the Hackathon sets the stage for a unique coding competition that fosters innovation, collaboration, empowerment, and engagement with the latest cutting-edge technology. The four-day event provides a platform for computer engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity majors from dozens of HBCUs to showcase their skills in front of the competition’s largest sponsor pool to date, aiming to recruit them for tech internships and jobs.

“As the technology industry continues to evolve, the demand for skilled professionals is higher than ever, and BLACK ENTERPRISE recognizes the importance of nurturing the talent that already exists within HBCUs,” said BLACK ENTERPRISE CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. “Our event, in partnership with American Airlines and other leading corporations, is a testament to our steadfast commitment to promoting diversity within the tech industry. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now a part of everyday life, we are proving that HBCU students are the original AI: Authentically Intelligent.”

The 2025 participating Hackathon schools are:

1. Alabama A&M University
2. Alabama State University
3. Benedict College
4. Bethune-Cookman University
5. Claflin University
6. Delaware State University
7. Dillard University
8. Elizabeth City State University
9. Fisk University
10. Florida A&M University
11. Florida Memorial University
12. Grambling State University
13. Hampton University
14. Howard University
15. Jackson State University
16. Johnson C. Smith University
17. Kentucky State University
18. Lane College
19. LeMoyne-Owen College
20. Livingston College
21. Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
22. Morgan State University
23. Morehouse College
24. Norfolk State University
25. North Carolina A&T State University
26. North Carolina Central University
27. Philander Smith University
28. Prairie View A&M University
29. Rust College
30. Shaw University
31. Simmons College of Kentucky
32. Southern University and A&M College
33. Spelman College
34. Talladega College
35. Tennessee State University
36. Texas Southern University
37. Tuskegee University
38. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
39. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
40. Virginia State University
41. West Virginia State University
42. Winston-Salem State University
43. Xavier University of Louisiana

The 2024 winning team was Protégé, comprised of Spelman College seniors, and the all-women’s college will return this year to defend its title. Protégé received 100,000 AAdvantage miles from American Airlines, a MacBook Air, and a DJI Mini 4 Pro drone. Other top winners from last year included teams from Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama, who won second and third places, respectively. Receiving the judges’ highest technical score was Morgan State University in Baltimore, which is also the only HBCU to participate in all nine years of the Hackathon.

In addition to its longtime partnership with American Airlines, BLACK ENTERPRISE will be joined by The City of Charlotte, Fidelity Investments, McDonald’s, Manulife John Hancock, NASCAR, Nationwide, PepsiCo, Toyota, and Verizon. This marks the largest Hackathon sponsor pool to date. Sponsors will present on relevant and trending topics in the emerging technology field, while Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will join the Hackathon to welcome students to the Queen City.

During the 24-hour Hack, sponsors will provide technical staff to mentor each team, which is tasked with developing technical solutions to solve real-world challenges. A panel of judges evaluates each team’s application impact, technical complexity, and user-friendliness, while also assessing teams on their pitch and presentation skills.

What truly sets this Hackathon apart is the tangible path it offers to career opportunities. BE Smart Hackathon participants are recruited annually for internships and full-time job opportunities at American Airlines and its technology partners, as well as for roles with BLACK ENTERPRISE’s Hackathon corporate partners.