Competition and Hackathon Winners
Aspiring engineers and scientists worldwide are winning competitions using MATLAB and Simulink—building technical skills and gaining valuable experience. Take a look at recent champions and their projects and be inspired to enter, compete, and possibly even take home a top prize.
Programming and Math
Waseda University
Outstanding: SCUDEM - 2025
The team at Waseda University received an Outstanding award for the SCUDEM 2025 student competition. They used MATLAB to solve, plot, and find the maximum temperature value for an ordinary differential equation that describes conservation of power.
Programming and Math
Stuyvesant High School
Outstanding: SCUDEM - 2025
The team at Stuyvesant High School received an Outstanding award for the SCUDEM 2025 student competition. They used MATLAB to model atmospheric entry particle dynamics. They utilized the built-in NRLMSISE-00 Atmosphere model to calculate constants for atmospheric density and drag. The differential equations modeling mass loss and velocity were numerically solved using the Euler method. They used a Laplace likelihood function to introduce uncertainty and measure error, and results were visualized using 3D surfaces.
Finance
Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
Grand Prize Overall, MATLAB Innovation Award: China Graduate Financial Data Modeling Competition 2025
The winner leveraged MATLAB to implement the entire workflow, from model construction to strategy validation. He began by determining optimal weights using the Markowitz model, then built an event-driven quantitative backtesting system to simulate historical performance and evaluate outcomes. Through theoretical refinement and iterative backtesting, he ultimately developed a robust investment portfolio.
Automotive
South China Agricultural University
1st Place of MATLAB/Simulink Modeling and Simulation Awards, 1st Prize Overall: Formula Student Electric China 2025
The team developed an integrated vehicle development framework using MATLAB/Simulink, featuring a high-fidelity 14-DOF full-vehicle dynamics model. To improve accuracy, the team replaced traditional empirical tire force formulas with a Backpropagation neural network. The workflow extensively leverages MATLAB’s native tools: a custom GUI supports model parameter identification and neural network training, while another self-developed GUI application processes and analyzes real vehicle CAN bus data for validation. Finally, a Model Predictive Controller was designed using the dedicated Toolbox and integrated with the model to demonstrate advanced vehicle dynamics control. This project exemplifies a complete model-based design cycle—from data processing to controller synthesis—implemented collaboratively within the MATLAB/Simulink environment.
Aerospace
KLE Technological University
Champions of AeroTHON2025: SAE India AeroTHON 2025
Team AeroKLE leveraged MATLAB and Simulink for battery and thrust modeling, synthetic data generation, and PID controller tuning. These tools enabled accurate simulation, rapid design iteration, and robust performance optimization, playing a key role in our success in the competition.
Signal Processing
Beijing Jiaotong University
1st Place of MathWorks Awards, 2nd Place Overall: China Graduate Electronics Design Contest 2025
The “Leading Goose and Vanguard” team built an RFSoC-based 1 GHz ultra-wideband channel simulator that unites measurement, modeling, and hardware verification, plus an auto-modeling engine for fast, high-fidelity multi-scenario playback. MATLAB was used to implement key algorithms for channel modeling, such as CIR calculation, path loss fitting, and Doppler analysis. Simulink was employed to build link-level simulation models, ensuring a high degree of consistency between channel parameters and hardware behavior. Channel parameters generated by MATLAB can be seamlessly imported into the FPGA simulator, facilitating collaborative software and hardware development.
Aerospace
University of Athens
1st Place: Airbus Sloshing Rocket Workshop 2025
DeltaV Dynamics from the University of Athens won 1st place in the Airbus Sloshing Rocket Workshop. Using MATLAB and Simulink, the team designed their own water rocket propulsion simulator to optimize the propulsion tank configuration of their rocket.
With the help of MATLAB App Designer, a simple and portable GUI was built which was easy to use for every teammate and allowed them to quickly run numerous simulations while achieving significant speedup through the Parallel Computing Toolbox.
Automotive
Georgia Institute of Technology
3rd Place: Formula SAE IC Michigan 2025
The Powertrain subsystem utilizes MATLAB simulations to render a 1D model of the engine’s ducting to aid intake and exhaust design.
Signal Processing
University of North Dakota
2nd Place: AFRL SDR University Challenge 2024-25
Using MATLAB and Simulink, the UND SemCom 6G team built a complete multi-user MIMO testbed that controls three USRP-B210 radios, implements LTE Tx-diversity/OFDM waveforms, and delivers two simultaneous image links with deep-learning-enabled semantic communication in real time. Custom TX/RX GUIs were created in MATLAB that allow users to select images, set RF gains, and monitor constellation, spectrum, and reconstructed-image plots live—turning complex SDR control into a single-click experience.
Poland 2025
- 27 March 2025
Institute of Heat Engineering, Politechnika Warszawska
- Winner: SKA PW, Politechnika Warszawska
- First runner-up: KNR Drone PW, Politechnika Warszawska
- Second runner-up: error404 – Politechnika Warszawska
India 2024
- 27–28th September 2024
Indian Institute of Science, India
- Winner: CodeXareals, MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
- First runner-up: EPsquad, NIT Calicut
- Second runner-up: Genisis, Government Engineering College Thrissur
Singapore 2024
- 10-11th June 2024
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Winner: NYP ATIC, Nanyang Polytechnic
- First runner-up: JAJAJA, Nanyang Technological University
- Second runner-up: NY Flying, Nanyang Technological University
2023 Sustainability and Renewable Energy Challenge
- 1st place: TH Köln, Germany
- 2nd place: Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, India
- 3rd place: Ain Shams University, Egypt
2023 Simulink Student Challenge
- 1st place: Politecnico di Torino, Italy
- 2nd place: Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, Egypt
- 3rd place: King’s College London, England
2022 Simulink Student Challenge
- 1st place: Politecnico di Milano, Italy
- 2nd place: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
- 3rd place: University of Southampton, England
HackDavis 2023
- Best Use of MATLAB Award: Jonathan Wang, Andrew Fu, Eric Liu, and Suparn Sathya
- Project name: Drowsy—Sleep Analytics and Improvement Through Technology
MATHACK 2022
- 1st place: Rafael Otero, Alejandro Sánchez Roncero, Víctor Manuel López Higueras, and Pablo Pastor
- Project name: Hacking Better Emergency Response Times with MATLAB Mobile
MATHack Western Cape 2022
- 1st place: Bianca Harber, Gabrielle Liebenberg, and Rosanne Maritz, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
- Project name: Overstock No More!
