ASA DataFest
A celebration of data and applied learning experience where undergraduate student teams work over a three-day weekend to find and share meaning in a large, rich, and complex dataset provided by an industry sponsor.
April 10–12, 2026 | Justin Hall, Manhattan Campus
Undergraduates are invited to participate in the next ASA DataFest at Kansas State University, happening April 10–12, 2026, in Justin Hall on the Manhattan campus. Participation is free, and students may register individually (and be matched with a team) or join as part of an existing group. Stay tuned for exciting updates about the expanded 2026 event, featuring new challenges, sponsors, and opportunities to showcase your data skills!
Have fun and win prizes!
Exercise your data science skills!
Strengthen your resume!
Engage with data professionals!
What to Expect
DataFest challenges student teams to extract insights from a real-world dataset provided by a confidential industry partner. Over an intense 48-hour period, teams clean, analyze, and interpret complex data to uncover meaningful patterns and communicate their findings. Prizes are awarded to teams with the most creative, statistically sound, and well-communicated results. Undergraduates from all majors and skill levels are encouraged to participate—including (but not limited to) students in engineering, mathematics, computer science, statistics, biological sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and business. See our FAQ page for more details about how to prepare and what to expect.
Mentors and Judges
Graduate students, faculty, and staff are invited to serve as mentors, offering advice and guidance to student competitors throughout the weekend. We also welcome data scientists and professionals from academia, government, and industry to volunteer as judges.
Sponsorship and Contact
ASA DataFest is sponsored nationally by the American Statistical Association (ASA) and hosted locally by the Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics (ID3A). For information on becoming a local sponsor or event partner, please contact Rebecca Dale.