February 9-13, 2026

Love Data week

Purdue University students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the Boiler Up, Hammer Data Challenge. One student winner and one faculty/staff winner will advance to the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Data Viz Championship.

Boiler Up Hammer Data Graphic
Love Data Week Banner

WINNERS 2026

Gold Standard Dashboard Screenshot

The Gold Standard

Winners: Kinaya Hines
Prize Amount: $1,000

*Will represent Purdue at the Big 10 Data Visualization Competition

Rah, Rah, Rah! The Analytics of University Fight Songs Dashboard

Rah, Rah, Rah! The Analytics of University Fight Songs

Winner: Rajsri Raghunath
Prize Amount: $500

The Periodic Table of College Fight Songs Dashboard

The Periodic Table of College Fight Songs

Winner: William Schnefke
Prize Amount: $500

Undergrad Online Course Report

Undergrad Online Course Report

Winners: John Race et al.

*Will represent Purdue at the Big 10 Data Visualization Competition

Voting

Help Crown the BTAA Data Viz Champions and vote for the Love It! Award Winner (chosen by audience votes). Cast your vote for one student visualization and one faculty/staff visualization. Voting is open through 1 pm ET on Friday, February 13th.

Boiler Up, Hammer Data Challenge

Purdue University students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the Boiler Up, Hammer Data Challenge. This data visualization competition is an opportunity to showcase data viz skills and compete for a chance to advance to the BTAA Data Viz Championship. Students can also compete for cash prizes.

Students will be given a data set and asked to produce a data viz for submission, while faculty/staff may submit an existing viz that highlights Purdue University or one of its projects.

Purdue student and faculty/staff submissions will be accepted through January 19th. Boiler Up, Hammer Data Challenge winners will advance to the BTAA Championship, which takes place during International Love Data Week, February 9-13, 2026. Details about the competition are outlined below.

Timeline

January 19th – Student and Faculty/Staff visualizations must be submitted by 11:59 pm

January 26th – Boiler Up, Hammer Data Challenge Winners Announced

February 9th – 13th – Visualizations & Voting Live for the BTAA Data Viz Championship

February 13th – Virtual BIG10 showcase

At least one author for each visualization (Student and Faculty/Staff) must be available to present at the showcase.

Students

Students may compete individually or in teams of two.

Your challenge is to use a Fight Song Data Set (or the updated date set with Big Ten Institutions) to devise a data visualization to address the question(s) of your choice. Your visualization should be publicly available for voting and judging. Identify a research question, have fun, and be creative!

Purdue Data Visualization Excellence Award

Prize Amount: $1,000

The Purdue Data Visualization Excellence Award recognizes the best overall data visualization that embodies a harmonious blend of analytical precision, creative flair, and effective communication. This award celebrates the mastery of chart types and best practices but also showcases the ability to convey complex information in a compelling and accessible manner. The winner of this award will proudly represent Purdue at the larger Big Ten Academic Alliance Data Viz Championship, representing the university’s commitment to advancing the art and science of data visualization.

This award is sponsored by Purdue’s Libraries and School of Information Studies and the Center for Business Communication in the Daniels School of Business

Daniels School of Business Excellence in Business Insights Award

Prize Amount: $500

The Daniels School of Business Excellence in Business Insights Award celebrates outstanding achievements in data visualization that directly address a business case, question, or strategically position the creator as a valuable employee or researcher for Lego. This award recognizes the fusion of analytical acumen and creative storytelling, emphasizing the impact of data visualization on driving informed decision-making in the business context.

This award is sponsored by the Center for Business Communication in the Daniels School of Business

Purdue Libraries Visionary Visualization Award

Prize Amount: $500

The Purdue Libraries Visionary Visualization award celebrates the most unique, creative, or novel data visualization solution that demonstrates an exceptional understanding of chart types for each visualization component. This award highlights the adept use of diverse visualization techniques and the application of best practices in design, ensuring an innovative and effective representation of complex information. The emphasis is on pushing the boundaries of conventional data visualization to unveil new insights.

This award is sponsored by Purdue’s Libraries and School of Information Studies

Submit Your Data Visualization

Students can submit their data visualization via this Microsoft form. The submission form closes at midnight on January 19, 2026. Voting information will be announced closer to the BTAA competition.

Faculty & staff

Submit an existing visualization that is used on your institution to share information. Visualizations can pertain to the institution as a whole or to a specific initiative or population. Submissions should follow institutional data policies (e.g. disable download of identifiable data) and must be made available publicly on the web for the duration of the challenge.

Ways to Get Involved
  • Share this opportunity with students.
  • Nominate a peer’s work or submit your visualization via this Microsoft form by 11:59 pm on January 19th

FAQs