We are pleased to invite our Business Analytics students to participate in the SAS® Viya® for Learners Challenge 2026, a week-long analytics and machine learning competition designed to build real-world data science skills.
Now in its 6th year, the challenge continues to expand—this year running across the APAC region—giving students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in analytics, build stronger technical skills, and showcase their capabilities to future employers.
📅 Challenge Details
Dates: Monday 13 July 2026 (7:00 AM SGT • 4:30 AM IST • 9:00 AM AEST) – Friday 17 July 2026 (16:00 PM SGT • 13:30 PM IST • 18:00 PM AEST)
Platform: Kaggle InClass (Online)
Students will work through the full analytics lifecycle using SAS Viya for Learners and SAS Viya Workbench for Learners, tackling a realistic business problem involving data exploration, preparation, and machine learning model development.
Why Encourage Students to Participate?
Industry Recognition
Top 3 participants: Winner’s Digital Badge
All valid submissions: Participant Digital Badge
Credentials issued via Credly and suitable for LinkedIn and resumes
New for 2026: Mentorship Program (Top 3)
Selected top performers will receive:
Four weeks of virtual mentorship with SAS professionals
Weekly one-hour mentoring sessions
Career guidance, industry insights, and professional development support
Exposure to real-world analytics career pathways
SAS Certification Vouchers (Top 3)
Winners will also receive a voucher for one of the following globally recognised certifications:
SAS® Viya® Programming Associate
SAS® Programming Fundamentals
SAS® Base Programming Specialist
Daily Learning Webinars (13–17 July, 1:30 PM Sydney (AEST, UTC+10) = 11:30 AM Philippines (PHT, UTC+8) Join our daily webinars to support your learning and boost your performance
Day 1: Data Analysis
Day 2: Discover Insights
Day 3: Deploying Valuable Analytics Pt. 1
Day 4: Deploying Valuable Analytics Pt. 2 + Insights from 2025 Winners and Live Q&A
Day 5: Live Q&A with SAS Experts
Presented by the SAS 2026 CareerStart Interns (Australia & Philippines)
🚀 About the Challenge
This is a hands-on learning experience where students apply data science and machine learning techniques to solve a real-world problem using SAS Viya. The challenge is designed to build practical, job-ready skills in analytics and AI.
We would greatly appreciate your support in sharing this opportunity with your students. It is an excellent way for them to gain practical experience, build confidence in analytics, and connect with industry professionals.
Note: To be eligible to enter the competition and prizes, the Kaggle account must be registered with a university student email address from one of the following APAC countries/regions: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, or India. Any other regions will be disqualified
