ABC CTE Code Jam 2026

Whitney High School

February 28th, 2026

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Code Jam 2020 participant.

What is ABC CTE Code Jam?

ABC CTE Code Jam is a student-run Hackathon for both novice and expert programmers! A hackathon is a collaborative-coding marathon where novices can get a crash course in programming, and work with experts on projects to demo at the end of the event!

The teams with the best projects are awarded prizes, and everyone goes home with more experience programming along with awesome merch!

What can I expect from ABC CTE Code Jam? Workshops from industry professionals and student speakers! An exciting competition between your friends and peers alike! And best of all, it's all free!

Who can participate in ABC CTE Code Jam 2026?

Participation is open to all high school students (specifically intended for students of the ABCUSD School District) no matter your skill level! Don't be worried if you aren't that good at coding, that's what Code Jam is for! .

This sounds great... how do I sign up?

Right Here: Sign Up Form



Want to volunteer instead?

Volunteers can be highschoolers who are experienced in programming or just want to help out from the ABCUSD school district. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to your school's Code Jam Advisor or Computer Science Club.

2026 Workshops & Presentations

Informational #1: Justin Ji: The Perspective of an AI-Native Computer Science Student: Students will get a glimpse into how growing up alongside generative AI shapes a modern computer science education. We will discuss new approaches to problem-solving, integrating AI tools into daily workflows, and how AI-assisted development differs from traditional coding practices.

Informational #2: Dr. Constance Steinkhuler: Toxicity and Its Opposite, Fellowship: Dr. Steinkhuler will be talking about her findings from the last two decades of her research on games, with a particular focus on their capacity for generating social connectedness.

Workshop #3: Rishikesh Ingale: Using a Speech-To-Text API to Transcribe Audio Content Learn how to convert spoken words into text by integrating a Speech-To-Text API. In this hands-on workshop, you will process audio data, build API requests, and implement transcription services, leaving you with the practical skills to develop your own voice-driven projects.

ABC CTE Code Jam 2026 Schedule

Time Activity
7:45 Doors open
8:00 Event Starts
Opening Ceremony ~ 10 min
8:10 Keynote Speech (Chad Laines) ~ 15 min
8:25 Team Formation and Competition Breakdown ~ 15 min
8:40 Brainstorm Session
8:50 Workshop #1 - Justin Ji: The Perspective of an AI-Native Computer Science Student ~ 25 min
9:15 Projects begin! Workblock #1: ~ 1 hr 5 min
10:20 Guest Speaker - Dr. Constance Steinkhuler: Toxicity and Its Opposite, Fellowship ~ 25 min
10:45 Projects Resume - Work Block #2 ~ 30 min
11:15 Lunch (40 min)
11:55 Workshop #3: Using a Speech-To-Text API to Transcribe Audio Content ~ 25 min
12:20 Projects Resume - Work Block #3 ~ 2 hr 10 min
2:30 Break + Snacks/Water ~ 10 min
2:40 Projects Resume - Work Block #4 ~ 1 hr 5 min
3:45 Submission Window Opens ~ 60 min
4:45 Judges Dinner (45 mins); No more coding, teams can polish and prepare presentations
5:30 Presentations Begin (75 min)
Closing Ceremony
6:45 Judging Deliberation + Dinner ~ 30 min
7:15 CTE Publicity ~ 30 min
7:45 Awards Ceremony + Closing ~ 15 min
8:00 Lockout

All workshops are optional to attend, but highly recommended!

See our speakers page for more info on workshop leaders and speakers!

Introducing our Sample Project Catalog!

Don't know what to make during the competition? Need some inspiration? Check out the Sample Project Catalog! In this catalog, you will find some sample projects created with different IDEs (Integrated Development Environments). The different projects and IDEs are categorized by difficulty, so find an IDE that suits you best, and create a wonderful project of your own design! Happy Coding!


ABC CTE Code Jam 2025 Promo (2026 Promo coming soon)!