The Strange Data Project: €5,000 AI Competition at Vibeworks
Nomad AI brings their flagship research competition to Dublin—find data LLMs can't see, transform it, and prove measurable improvement. Hosted by Echofold at Vibeworks, January 31 - February 15.
What is The Strange Data Project?
The Strange Data Project is a €5,000 AI research competition organised by Nomad AI and hosted at Vibeworks in Dublin. Participants find data that LLMs can't currently access (locked behind paywalls, in non-text formats, or simply never collected), transform it into usable representations, and demonstrate measurable improvement in AI tasks—all without expensive model retraining. The competition runs January 31 - February 15, 2025, with kickoff at 10AM and Demo Day on the final day.
Register Now
Teams of 1-5 people. Free to enter. €5,000 in prizes.
TL;DR
- •€5,000 prize pool: €3,000 first place, €1,500 second, €500 third
- •The challenge: Find data LLMs can't see, transform it, prove measurable improvement—no model training required
- •Dates: January 31 (Kickoff @ 10AM) through February 15 (Demo Day)
- •Location: Vibeworks, D14 W6X6, Dublin—Echofold's AI-focused event space
- •Teams: 1-5 people, free registration at nomadai.ie
Echofold is proud to announce that we're facilitating Nomad AI's flagship competition at our Vibeworks event space. "The Strange Data Project" isn't your typical hackathon—it's an AI research competition that tackles one of the most pressing challenges in the field: the data that models can't reach.
With a €5,000 prize pool and a 16-day sprint format, this competition challenges participants to find, transform, and prove the value of data that current LLMs simply can't access. Whether it's locked behind paywalls, trapped in proprietary formats, or existing in domains that haven't been digitised—there's a wealth of information that could dramatically improve AI capabilities if only it could be made accessible.
The competition kicks off at Vibeworks on January 31st at 10AM, with Demo Day on February 15th. Registration is free, and teams of 1-5 are welcome.
01.The Challenge: Data LLMs Can't See
Large Language Models are trained on vast amounts of publicly available text data. But there's a significant limitation: they can only learn from data they can access. The Strange Data Project asks participants to identify and unlock these blind spots.
What counts as "strange data"?
Access-Locked Data
Behind paywalls, login walls, or enterprise systems
Non-Text Formats
Images, audio, video, sensor data, CAD files
Uncollected Data
Domain expertise that's never been written down
Real-Time Data
Live feeds, streaming information, dynamic sources
The key constraint: no expensive model retraining. This competition is about clever data transformation and representation, not throwing compute at the problem. You need to prove that your approach creates measurable improvement using existing models and techniques.
02.Prize Pool: €5,000
Prize money paid via bank transfer within 14 days of announcement. At least one team member must attend Demo Day in person.
03.Judging Criteria
Projects will be evaluated across five dimensions, with Demonstrated Improvement carrying the most weight. This isn't just about finding interesting data—you need to prove it makes AI better.
Demonstrated Improvement
Measurable, quantifiable performance gains
Data Novelty
How unique and previously inaccessible is the data?
Representation Quality
How well is the data transformed for AI consumption?
Future Potential
Scalability and broader applicability
Clarity of Explanation
Can you communicate your approach effectively?
04.Schedule & Location
Key Dates
Pre-Competition Networking
Sasha's Coffee Bar—theme previews, team formation, meet potential teammates
Kickoff @ Vibeworks
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM—competition begins, theme reveal, team registration
Build Sprint
16 days to find, transform, and demonstrate your data approach
Demo Day @ Vibeworks
Final presentations, judging, and prize announcements
Hosted at Vibeworks
Both the Kickoff and Demo Day take place at Vibeworks, Echofold's AI-focused event space in Dublin 14. The venue offers high-speed connectivity, presentation facilities, and plenty of space for teams to collaborate.
05.How to Participate
Register Your Team
Head to nomadai.ie/events and complete the registration form. Teams can be 1-5 people.
Network & Form Teams (Optional)
Join the pre-competition event on January 18th at Sasha's Coffee Bar to meet potential teammates and get theme previews.
Attend Kickoff
Be at Vibeworks on January 31st at 10AM for the official start, theme reveal, and team registration.
Build & Submit
You have 16 days to find your strange data, transform it, and prepare your demonstration of improvement.
Present on Demo Day
Return to Vibeworks on February 15th to present your project. At least one team member must attend in person to claim prizes.
Important Rules
- •At least one team member must attend Demo Day in person to claim prizes
- •Plagiarised non-open-source code results in immediate disqualification
- •Prize money is paid via bank transfer within 14 days of announcement
06.Why Vibeworks?
Echofold is proud to host this competition at Vibeworks, our dedicated space for AI events, workshops, and community gatherings. Located in Dublin 14 with easy access and free parking, Vibeworks has become a hub for Ireland's growing AI community.
We've previously hosted Ireland's first Claude Code community meetup and various AI workshops. The Strange Data Project continues our mission of bringing cutting-edge AI events to Dublin.
Whether you're an experienced ML practitioner or someone curious about data transformation techniques, this competition offers a unique opportunity to tackle a meaningful problem in AI research—and potentially walk away with a share of €5,000.
07.Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Strange Data Project?
The Strange Data Project is an AI research competition organised by Nomad AI, challenging participants to find data that LLMs can't currently access or process effectively, transform it into usable formats, and demonstrate measurable improvement in AI performance—all without expensive model retraining.
What is the prize pool?
The total prize pool is €5,000, distributed as follows: 1st Place receives €3,000, 2nd Place receives €1,500, and 3rd Place receives €500. Prize money is paid via bank transfer within 14 days of the announcement.
Where is the competition being held?
The competition kickoff and Demo Day are hosted at Vibeworks, Echofold's AI-focused event space in Dublin (D14 W6X6). The kickoff is on January 31st at 10AM, and Demo Day is February 15th.
How do I register?
Registration is available through the Nomad AI website at nomadai.ie/events. Teams can have 1-5 members. There's also a pre-competition networking event on January 18th at Sasha's Coffee Bar for team formation and theme previews.
What are the judging criteria?
Projects are evaluated on five criteria: Data Novelty (20%), Representation Quality (20%), Demonstrated Improvement (25%), Clarity of Explanation (15%), and Future Potential (20%). The emphasis on Demonstrated Improvement means you need to show measurable, quantifiable results.
Join the Strange Data Revolution
The Strange Data Project represents exactly the kind of challenge the AI community needs more of—focused, measurable, and addressing a real limitation in current systems. Rather than competing on who can throw the most compute at a problem, this competition rewards clever thinking about data access and transformation.
We're excited to host Nomad AI at Vibeworks and look forward to seeing what Dublin's AI community can create. Whether you're a seasoned data scientist or a curious developer with an idea about untapped data sources, this is your chance to prove that better data beats bigger models.
Ready to Compete?
Registration is free. Teams of 1-5 welcome. €5,000 in prizes. Kickoff January 31st at Vibeworks.