From archives to algorithm: behind the scenes at Nine’s hackathon, ‘Hack into History’

Nine’s annual hackathon is a fast-paced, high-energy event where teams from across digital and technology come together to build, innovate, and problem-solve. It’s an opportunity for our people to apply their skills in new ways, collaborate across teams, and create something impactful in just 48 hours.

For this year’s hackathon, we decided to do things a little differently, utilising our historic archive of newspaper articles, images and articles that span 190 years. In celebrating this extraordinary asset, ‘Hack into History’ challenged participants to create innovative solutions that tap into the cultural, social, and financial value of our extensive media library, enabling our Australian audiences to access this content in user-friendly, engaging and enriching ways.

The team behind Vertical Vault proved that history isn’t just for the books – it’s for the feed. By transforming decades of archival footage into snackable, mobile-first content, they captured the imagination of the judges and took home the win. Here is how they turned the past into the future.

The big idea

The concept started with a simple question: How do we make history feel current? Marc’s team landed on Vertical Vault, an automated system designed to mine Nine’s vast archives and generate short, vertical “On This Day” videos specifically for the 9Now mobile experience.

Instead of letting historical stories live solely on a website, the team explored how AI could reframe existing assets into something quick, personalised, and easy to consume. “The idea came directly from what we found in the archive,” the team shared. “Since the theme was history, we spent a lot of time digging through it and kept coming across interesting images, videos, and stories. That made the ‘On This Day’ idea feel very organic.”

The process: mapping out the Vertical Vault

Collaboration across our Digital and Technology teams is about more than just sitting in the same room or on the same Google Meet call; it’s about aligning diverse skill sets toward a singular goal. The Vertical Vault team began their journey at a shared Miro board, where every member contributed their boldest ideas before grouping them into a realistic project.

To ensure they could deliver a working prototype within the 48-hour window, the team focused on keeping the scope tight. Marc and his team meticulously mapped the journey from archive to the user’s phone, understanding and then articulating the user flow for their concept. 

Once this flow was mapped out, Marc explains the team’s emphasis on specialisation, splitting their group into Product, Design and Tech streams to drive the idea ahead. The team ensured they constantly iterated to ensure that their end-to-end solution actually worked.

The rollercoaster ride to success

No hackathon is without its hurdles, and for the Vertical Vault team, time was the biggest challenge. With only a day and a half to build a complex AI-reframing tool, the team had to move in parallel.

“The biggest challenge was time,” Marc recalled. “By the next morning, there were still pieces not fully done, so we had to quickly regroup, reshuffle responsibilities, and focus on what needed to be finished to meet the midday deadline.”

This meant making “quick calls” on scope – stripping the idea back to its most essential, impactful form to ensure they had a polished product ready for the final presentation. This agility allowed them to pivot under pressure, turning a stressful morning into a winning afternoon.

A unique opportunity to connect and learn

The magic of the hackathon lies in its ability to break down silos. The Vertical Vault team thrived by bringing together perspectives that don’t always overlap in the day-to-day grind. By grounding their boldest ideas in the practical reality of what works for 9Now, they created a product that felt like a natural extension of the business.

The process of sharing, refining, and building together helped the team land on a clear direction that everyone felt confident in – proving that the best innovations happen when you combine historical depth with modern technical expertise.

For the team, the event was about more than just a trophy; it was about the intersection of cutting-edge tech and practical application.

“Each year, hackathon gives us space to experiment,” says Fiona Chen, Product Manager and winning team member. “But there’s nothing more satisfying than using sparkly new tools to solve real user and business problems, and building something that could genuinely scale beyond the two days.”

The real win of hackathon

While taking out the win was a highlight, the real achievement was demonstrating how Nine’s rich history can be reimagined for a new generation of viewers. Vertical Vault showed that with a bit of AI and a lot of collaboration, Nine’s media archive isn’t just a record of where we’ve been – it’s a tool for where we’re going.

“Winning with the Vertical Vault wasn’t about finding the ‘perfect’ idea on day one; it was about the chemistry of a mobile squad that’s been working together for years. As a mobile squad, we have a shared language for what’s ‘ambitious but doable,’ that allowed us to skip the small talk and dive straight into solving the friction between legacy archives and modern mobile habits. Our win was less about the tech itself and more about the way we could pivot together—layering AI-driven tones and smart reframing over archival footage to turn something ‘old’ into something that feels like a personal, daily discovery!” – Adriana Breakspear, Product Design Manager and team member of the Vertical Vault.

From a Miro board brainstorm to a winning mobile prototype, Nine’s hackathon continues to be the ultimate launchpad for new ideas and career-defining collaboration.