About this Event
Inaugural Edition · Indonesia
ASA DataFest™ at BINUS
Bina Nusantara University · Data Science Program · School of Computer Science
Date1–3 May 2026
FormatOnline · Zoom
Duration48 Hours
Slots20 Teams
→ Register Your Team
Registration closes 27 April 2026 or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first. Free to participate.
The American Statistical Association (ASA) DataFest™ is a celebration of data in which teams of undergraduates work around the clock to find and share meaning in a large, rich, and complex data set.
DataFest™ was founded at UCLA in 2011, when 30 students gathered for 48 intense hours to analyze five years of arrest records provided by Lt. Thomas Zak of the Los Angeles Police Department. ASA DataFest is now sponsored by the American Statistical Association and hosted by several of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. More than 2000 students take part from schools such as UCLA, Pomona College, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Riverside, University of Southern California, Purdue University, Duke, the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State, Emory, Princeton, Dartmouth, Smith, Hampshire, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, and the University of Massachusetts. Outside of US, universities in China and Australia also held this event in their universities.
This is the inaugural ASA DataFest™ at Bina Nusantara University, the first time this internationally recognized competition is held at a university in Indonesia. The Data Science Program is proud to bring this event to BINUS, connecting our students to a global community of data science practitioners.
A key feature of ASA DataFest™ is that it gathers the entire data science community. Student teams do the analytical work, supported by faculty and practitioners available for consultation. Many professionals use DataFest as a recruitment opportunity, observing how students think, collaborate, and perform under pressure with real data.
After two days of intense data wrangling, analysis, and presentation design, each team is allowed a few minutes and no more than three slides to impress a panel of judges. Prizes are given for Best Insight, Best Visualization, and Best Use of External Data.
More information about ASA DataFest™ (Other participating institutions, News, etc.) can be found here: https://ww2.amstat.org/education/datafest/
Early April (Stay Tuned!)
Registration Opens
Submit your team via the registration form.
Registration Closes
Or earlier if capacity is reached. No late registrations accepted.
Opening Ceremony
Live on Zoom. Briefing, rules confirmation, and welcome from organizers.
Dataset Released
Download link distributed to registered teams. The 48-hour competition window begins.
Consultation Channel Open
Faculty and practitioners available via Zoom. Schedule announced to registered teams.
Video Submission Deadline
All pre-recorded presentation videos must be submitted by this time.
Presentations & Awards
Videos played live on Zoom. Live Q&A with judges follows each presentation. Winners announced at the end of the session.
Awards are given per category, a team may win more than one. Judges are faculty members and data science industry practitioners.
🔍
Best Insight
The most meaningful, well-supported finding from the data. Evaluated on depth of analysis, defensibility of conclusions, and relevance to the problem domain.
📊
Best Visualization
The clearest and most effective visual communication of findings. Evaluated on accuracy, interpretability, and quality of design choices.
🔗
Best Use of External Data
The team that most effectively supplemented the provided dataset with independently sourced external data to strengthen their analysis.
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Team size: Minimum 3, maximum 5 members per team.
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Eligibility: All team members must be currently enrolled S1 students at Bina Nusantara University. Especially from Data Science Major.
3
Registration lock: Once registration closes, team composition is final. No substitutions or additions permitted.
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Team name: Must be of professional quality. Offensive or inappropriate names will result in disqualification.
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Data confidentiality: The dataset is provided exclusively for this competition. Participants may not share, publish, or distribute it in any form, during or after the event, without explicit written permission from the organizers.
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Independent work: All analysis must be conducted by registered team members only. Receiving analytical assistance from anyone outside the team is a violation. AI tools may be used for coding assistance or language editing. Using AI to generate the analysis or conclusions is not permitted.
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Tools: Any programming language, statistical software, or visualization tool is permitted. Teams are responsible for their own software and computing setup.
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Presentation format: Pre-recorded video, maximum 6 minutes. Maximum 3 content slides (excluding cover and closing slides), in English. Narration may be in Bahasa Indonesia. Videos are played live on Zoom on 3 May at 14.00 WIB, followed by live Q&A with judges.
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Submission deadline: Videos must be submitted by 11.00 WIB on 3 May 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstance.
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Judges’ decision is final. All judging decisions are binding and non-contestable.
Honor Code
“I will conduct this competition with integrity. All analysis, insights, and conclusions presented are the original work of my registered team. I will not seek or accept analytical assistance from individuals outside my team. I will not share the competition dataset with anyone outside the event. I understand that violations of this honor code will result in immediate disqualification.”
By registering, all team members confirm agreement to this honor code. Team captains are responsible for ensuring every member has read and accepted it before the opening ceremony.
→ Register Your Team
Registration closes 27 April 2026 or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first. Free to participate.
What is ASA DataFest™?
A 48-hour data hackathon where undergraduate teams analyze a real, large-scale dataset and present their best insights to expert judges. The emphasis is on finding something meaningful and communicating it clearly, not on building the most technically complex model.
How is this different to a normal Kaggle Competition?
A normal Kaggle Competition is typically a structured contest with a specific problem statement and evaluation criteria. In contrast, ASA DataFest is a 48-hour hackathon that emphasizes creative problem-solving and communication of insights rather than just technical performance. What sets it apart is the focus on real-world applications and the opportunity to work with a large, confidential dataset in a collaborative environment. However, recently Kaggle also started hosting hackathons (starting with the
Meta Kaggle Hackathon) which also emphasize on open-ended explorations.
Who can participate?
Currently enrolled S1 students at Bina Nusantara University. Especially Data Science Major taking Data Mining and Visualization or Deep Learning courses.
How many teams will be accepted?
Maximum 20 teams. Registration is closes on 27 April 2026 and confirmation email will be sent to participating teams on 29 April 2026.
Is there a registration fee?
No. Participation is completely free.
What dataset will we work with?
The dataset is confidential until the opening ceremony on 1 May 2026. It is provided by a data partner, involves a real-world problem, and may as large as 2 GB in size. Prepare your computing environment in advance.
How do we receive the data?
A download link will be distributed to all registered teams immediately after the opening ceremony on 1 May at 13.30 WIB.
Can we use AI tools?
AI tools may be used for coding assistance, grammar checking, and translation. AI-generated analysis, insights, and conclusions are not permitted. The thinking must be your team’s own.
Is there support during the competition?
Yes. A consultation channel via Zoom will be open on 2 May. Faculty and practitioners will be available to answer questions. They will not direct your analysis, that is your team’s responsibility.
What are the presentation requirements?
Pre-recorded video, maximum 6 minutes. Maximum 3 content slides in English (cover and closing slides excluded). Videos are played live on Zoom on 3 May at 14.00 WIB, followed by live Q&A with judges.
Why only 3 content slides?
We want you to focus on the insight gained. Even the official rules state only 2 content slides!
What do winners receive?
Prizes and certificates per category. Details will be announced prior to the event. All participants receive a certificate of participation.
Who do I contact for questions?
ASA DataFest™ is a registered trademark of the American Statistical Association. Bina Nusantara University is an authorized host institution.
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Online
01 May 2026
13:00