You’ve become an Agora Ambassador–what comes next?

In frame: Ashley Nicole Santos, Kendrick Zamudio, Christine May Ponciano, and Dearah Mae Barsolasco

You build something impactful. You host a hackathon.

Together with AWS Cloud Club Philippines, the Agora Philippines Ambassadors successfully launched the Voice AI Hackathon Manila 2026, a high-energy, one-day innovation sprint held on March 16, 2026, at the AWS Office in Bonifacio Global City.

The event gathered 27 competitive teams composed of developers, students, and professionals, all focused on building voice-AI-powered applications using cutting-edge AI tools. Participants leveraged Agora’s conversational AI capabilities alongside TRAE (The Real AI Engineer), an AI-powered development environment designed to accelerate innovation.

What Is a Voice AI Hackathon?

A Voice AI hackathon is a specialized coding event centered on building applications that utilize:

• Speech-to-Text (STT)
• Text-to-Speech (TTS)
• Large Language Models (LLMs)
• Real-time communication APIs

These events challenge developers to create conversational agents, voice assistants, and automation tools that push the boundaries of human-computer interaction.

Following global events such as the Voice AI Hackathon Istanbul and VoxTokyo, Manila’s edition marks a significant step in bringing advanced AI innovation to the Philippine tech ecosystem.

Another “Uy, Pilipins!” moment for us all!

Event Highlights: A Full-Day Innovation Sprint

The hackathon officially began at 8:00 AM, setting the tone for an intense and collaborative experience.

In Frame: Derek Zheng, APAC Lead of Developer Relations at Agora

Derek Zheng, APAC Lead of Developer Relations at Agora, opened the event with a keynote that emphasized the growing importance of real-time engagement technologies in shaping digital experiences.

In Frame: Hennessy Vince Solis, Solutions Architect at Agora

This was followed by a technical workshop led by Hennessy Vince Solis, who introduced participants to TRAE and guided them through its practical applications.

With the groundwork established, teams were given nine hours to conceptualize, build, and deploy their solutions–transforming ideas into working prototypes under pressure.

Winning Teams and Top Innovations

After a full day of development, the top 10 teams pitched their solutions to a panel of industry experts.

Image Credits to: Agora Philippines

Champion: Team Neosolve

Led by Kean Rosales and Miguel Kalaw, Team Neosolve secured first place with a standout solution, earning:

• ₱15,000 cash prize
• ₱57.3K in Agora credits

1st Runner-Up: Team JJKen

Kristian David Bautista, Marc Andrei Del Rosario, Angel Letada, and Marianne Angelika Santos:

• ₱10,000 cash prize
• ₱28.7K in Agora credits

2nd Runner-Up: Team IGTM

James Matthew Llanos, Mark Jayson Agao, Jairo Capua, and Lawrence Kurt Palomo:

• ₱5,000 cash prize
• ₱17.2K in Agora credits

These teams demonstrated how voice AI can be applied to real-world problems, from automation to intelligent user interfaces.

Expert Panel: Judges and Evaluation

The hackathon featured a distinguished panel of judges from across AI, cloud, and software engineering:

In Frame: Bryl Lim, Jon Bonso, Hennessy Vince Solis, Jed Tan, Raphael Quisimbing, & Derek Zheng

• Bryl Lim –  Principal AI Engineer at Standard Chartered
• Jon Bonso – CEO of Tutorials Dojo, AWS Training Partner and EdTech startup, AWS Community Builder
• Hennessy Vince Solis – Solutions Architect & APAC Developer Relations at Agora
• Jed Tan – Software Engineer at HawkFi and Founder of KreiosLabs
• Raphael Quisimbing – Cloud AI Data Expansion Consultant at Whitecloak, AWS Hero, and Founder of KakaComputer
• Derek Zheng – APAC Lead of Developer Relations & Director of Customer Success at Agora

Their evaluation focused on:

• Innovation and originality
• Technical implementation
• Real-world applicability
• User experience

Mentorship and Developer Support

A key highlight of the event was the presence of experienced mentors who actively guided participants throughout the competition:

In Frame: Mark “Aki” Achilles Flores, Jan Kendrick Zamudio, Christine May Ponciano, Samantha Servo, Christopher Bryan Evangelista, & Jeiren Mondejar

• Mark “Aki” Achilles Flores – Cloud Engineer at Elevate Innovations Corp and former Technology Director of AWS Cloud Club Philippines.
• Josh Kenn Viray – QA DevOps Software Engineer and AI Developer Intern at Procter & Gamble, and Co-Founder of Stacflow.
• Samantha Servo – Cloud Engineer at eCloudvalley Philippines and a certified AWS Cloud Practitioner and Solutions Architect – Associate. She provided technical mentorship on cloud-native architecture, security frameworks, and AI/ML.
• Jeiren Mondejar – Cloud Engineer at Elevate Innovation Corp. and a former Subject Matter Expert for Cloud Computing at AWS Cloud Club Philippines.
• Christopher Bryan Evangelista – Software Developer at Tambuli Labs and former Head of the Department of Data Analytics for the PUP AWS Cloud Club.
• Christine May Ponciano & Jan Kendrick Zamudio – Agora Philippines Ambassadors.

These mentors provided:

• Product Ideation and Design Thinking
• Real-time debugging assistance
• Architecture recommendations
• Agora and TRAE implementation guidance
• Cloud deployment strategies

This hands-on support enabled participants to accelerate development and improve solution quality, even within tight time constraints.

Organizing Team and Community Collaboration

The success of Voice AI Hackathon Manila 2026 was made possible through collaboration between Agora Philippines and AWS Cloud Club Philippines.

The organizing team included:

Agora Philippines:

• Hennessy Vince Solis
• Jan Kendrick Zamudio
• Christine May Ponciano
• Ashley Nicole Santos

• Dearah Mae Barsolasco

AWS Cloud Club Philippines:

• Gaile Espinosa
• Isaeus Guiang
• Alaine Cariño
• Kate Callao
• Alyra Santarin
• John Mark Pongase

Also, a special thanks to the dedicated volunteers from AWS Cloud Club Philippines: 

• Ace Batacandulo
• Arlette Tuastumban
• James Ryan Amba
• Jeezay Reinz Martinez
• Elreen Aya De Guzman
• Marco Dalanon
• John Rex Martinez
• Richmonde Paulo Gatchalian

And generally, the student leaders and volunteers from AWS Cloud Club Philippines, played a huge role in the success of this hackathon. They’ve showcased the strength of community-driven tech initiatives in the country.

Why Voice AI Hackathons Matter

According to industry experts like Bryl Lim and Jed Tan, niche hackathons like this provide significant value compared to general competitions.

They allow participants to:

• Focus deeply on a specific technology domain
• Build specialized, high-impact solutions
• Gain hands-on experience with emerging tools
• Collaborate with like-minded innovators

As Voice AI continues to grow, events like this play a crucial role in developing future-ready talent in the Philippines.

Conclusion: Building the Future of Voice AI in the Philippines

The Voice AI Hackathon Manila 2026 was more than just a competition. It was a platform for innovation, collaboration, and skill development.

By creating a focused environment for experimentation, the event empowered Filipino developers to:

• Explore advanced AI technologies
• Build meaningful solutions
• Compete on a global level

As the demand for conversational AI and real-time applications continues to rise, initiatives like this will be instrumental in shaping the next generation of AI builders in the Philippines.