Students from Austin Christian University brought home the grand prize at the 2026 Gloo AI Hackathon for the second year in a row, winning $100,000 for their project Fosterly, a solution designed to help people who have aged out of the foster care system.

The victory carried deep personal meaning for the team. The students attended the hackathon on behalf of their leader, Jack Malouff, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident shortly before the event. Teammates rallied under the banner "Fight Like Jack," carrying his vision into the competition while he remained behind.

"I'm a freshman, so I'm very blessed to be on this team and to come and be a part of it and share Jack's message and vision that God gave him," Fosterly team member Maebry Magilke told ChurchLeaders after the win, calling the experience "unbelievable."

Magilke described a gathering of believers united by purpose: "So many people in one place trying to form and shape AI to help human flourishing and just build God's kingdom is unlike anything I've seen before."

Austin Christian University's second team, Unify, also claimed a major prize, winning the Agents Track and taking home $20,000. Brynn Elzerman, a member of team Unify, said the experience was "amazing" and that the school had not expected to return with two awards, adding that she looked forward to getting back and telling Jack the good news.

The hackathon, hosted by the technology platform Gloo, was held in Boulder, Colorado, from October 6-8. More than 1,000 people competed in person and remotely on over 115 teams, representing 12 countries, 34 states, and eight universities. It was Gloo's fourth annual hackathon.

Competitors built their solutions across three tracks: Agents, Bible, and Ministry Resourcing, with the top honor going to the Most Impactful Grand Prize. This year's theme was "Building Together: Humans, Agents and the Future of Flourishing." Finalists presented their solutions to judges on October 8, with winners announced that afternoon.

For the Fosterly team, the work was never just about the technology or the prize money. "I just think this is so needed, because obviously the world is so scared of AI," team member Mikki Carino told ChurchLeaders. "And I think seeing people try and take it and use it for the kingdom is good, rather than submit to fear."

Young people who age out of foster care often face sudden independence with little support, making the Fosterly team's mission one of mercy in action — technology placed in service of the vulnerable, offered up by students who first demonstrated that same loyalty to their own injured teammate.