Dakota State University will host a free Ignite Hackathon event on April 17–19 at the Beacom Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Wildfire Labs, a Rapid City-based startup studio that transforms industry expertise into AI-powered software.

The three-day event will bring together founders, students, and community members to collaborate and build working prototypes using AI-powered tools—no coding experience required. Participants will form teams and use emerging platforms such as Claude Code and Lovable, which allow users to create functional software using natural language.

As part of the event, eight ideas will be selected by Dakota State and Wildfire Labs to move forward in the competition. These ideas will be shared with all registered participants ahead of the event, allowing teams to align around concepts and begin planning. Throughout the weekend, teams will develop their solutions and present their final projects to a panel of judges, with top teams competing for a $1,000 prize.

Those interested in participating can submit an idea or register as a team member by April 3. Participants are encouraged to submit ideas across a broad range of disciplines. Potential areas could include cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, game design, data privacy, computer science, business and information systems, health informatics, digital arts, education, STEM, and campus-focused tools. All meals will be provided for registered participants throughout the event.