EM@THON

General Rules

1. Applications for EM@THON and congress registration are completed through eacem.org.
2. EM@THON is a medical hackathon. Participation in other congress sessions during the event is left to each team’s own time management; however, the opening session (19 November, 13:30–15:00) and project presentations (21 November, 16:25–17:35) are mandatory for all team members.
3. Participants will be contacted via the e-mail addresses and telephone numbers provided during registration. After registration, all participants will be added to the EM@THON 2026 WhatsApp group.
4. The total number of teams is limited to 5. Applications will be assessed based on order of application and eligibility.
5. Each team may include up to 5 members and must include at least 2 emergency physicians (specialists or residents) and at least 1, but no more than 2, technical members (computer/software engineers, data scientists, designers, or students in these fields
6. The event begins on Thursday, 19 November 2026 at 13:30. Project development ends with the code freeze and project submission on Friday, 20 November 2026 at 13:30.
7. On Saturday, 21 November 2026, between 16:25 and 17:35, teams will present their projects to the jury and audience in an 8-minute presentation followed by 2 minutes of questions and answers. The presentation language will be English.
8. The jury will evaluate projects based on originality, innovation, potential contribution to the quality of emergency care, and potential for further development.
9. Awards will be presented at the Congress Gala on the evening of Saturday, 21 November 2026.
10. Entering a commercial product or a pre-developed project, applying on behalf of a company, or failing to declare a conflict of interest may result in disqualification.

Who Can Participate?

• Emergency medicine residents and specialists
• Computer and software engineers
• Data scientists and health informatics specialists
• UI/UX designers
• Undergraduate and postgraduate students in computing and related fields

Speakers and Mentors

• Prof. Dr. Ebru Akçapınar Sezer — Hacettepe University, Department of Computer Engineering
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Ulaş Özturan — Kocaeli University, Department of Emergency Medicine
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Göksu Bozdereli Berikol — Atılım University, Department of Emergency Medicine
• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Buğra İlhan — Kırıkkale University, Department of Emergency Medicine
• Assist. Prof. Dr. Altuğ Kanbakan — Ufuk University, Department of Emergency Medicine
• Lecturer Dr. Şadiye Mıdık — Ege University, Department of Emergency Medicine

International jury members will be announced at a later date.

Main Topics

The competition theme will be announced on the day of the event and may cover one or more of the following areas:

1. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
2. Critical care
3. Disaster medicine
4. Toxicology
5. Airway management
6. Emergency medicine training
7. Triage
8. Prehospital medicine
9. Emergency department patient flow and crowding management
10. Occupational safety and staff health in the emergency department

Jury Criteria

• Originality
• Innovation
• Potential contribution to the quality of emergency care
• Feasibility and potential for further development

FAQs

Do I need to form a team before applying? Team applications are preferred. Team applications that do not meet the composition requirements (up to 5 members, at least 2 physicians, and at least 1 technical member) will not be considered. However, individual applications are also accepted. The EM@THON organising team will support individual applicants in matching with suitable teams.

I cannot find a technical team member. What should I do? Teams without a technical member may select the “I need technical team member support” option on the application form. The EM@THON organising team will provide matching support for these teams. Matching will take place during the opening session on the day of the event. Technical members may participate either on site or remotely.

Can team members participate remotely? Technical members may participate remotely. A dedicated online meeting link will be created for each team for the duration of the event, allowing remote members to collaborate with their teams. Physician members and at least one member who will deliver the final presentation must be present on site.

Why is the competition theme not announced in advance? To ensure equal conditions for all teams and prevent participation with pre-developed projects, the themes will be announced during the opening session at 13:30 on 19 November. Teams will define and refine their problem with mentors during the 15:00–16:30 workshop.

Will a dataset be provided? No. Teams may use synthetic data, open-access datasets, or sample data generated specifically for their project. The EM@THON organising team will not provide patient data.

I already have a project. Can I enter it in the competition? No. EM@THON is a hackathon, and evaluation covers work produced during the event. Previously developed products, commercial solutions, and projects submitted on behalf of a company are not eligible.

What should I bring? Please bring your laptop, charger, access to any required software accounts (such as GitHub and the cloud/AI services you use), and your congress registration. Power outlets and internet access will be available in the working area; however, teams are encouraged to have a mobile internet backup.

Can I attend other congress sessions? Yes. Outside the mandatory sessions, attendance at other congress sessions is left to your team’s own schedule. The opening session and project presentations are mandatory for all members.

When is the project submission deadline? Projects must be submitted by 13:30 on 20 November, together with the prototype/demo and presentation files, to the designated e-mail address.

What is the presentation format? Project presentations will take place on 21 November between 16:25 and 17:35. Each team will have 8 minutes for the presentation followed by 2 minutes for questions and answers. The presentation language will be English.

How will the projects be evaluated? Projects will be evaluated based on originality, innovation, potential contribution to the quality of emergency care, feasibility, and potential for further development.

What do mentors do, and what do they not do? Mentors provide guidance on problem definition, alignment with the clinical scenario, technical architecture, and data security. They do not write code or prepare the presentation on behalf of the team.

Who owns the intellectual property of the project? The intellectual property belongs to the team. TATD reserves the right to share project visuals and summaries for promotional purposes; further details are specified in the participation terms included in the application form.

Why is a conflict-of-interest declaration required? Participants who own or co-own a company operating in health informatics must declare this relationship. A declaration does not prevent participation; however, an existing company product cannot be entered into the competition.

Will participants receive a certificate? All participants will receive a TATD-approved certificate of participation, and award-winning teams will receive an award certificate.

Who can I contact if I have further questions? You can contact the EM@THON coordinators through the congress communication channels or, after registration, through the EM@THON 2026 WhatsApp group.