A Coruña, Spain – March 11, 2026 – Denodo, a leader in data management, announced the winners of the latest Denodo University Challenge on “Data and AI for Real-World Impact.” The first-place prize was awarded to a team from the University of A Coruña (UDC) in Spain. Additionally, Dwaraka Doss Goverdhan Doss Vaishnav College (DGVC) from India was recognized with the Highest Participation award for mobilizing the largest number of student teams across the globe in the competition.
This virtual challenge ran in late 2025, testing students' skills in applying data integration and data governance using Denodo Express to create ready-to-use AI solutions.
The Challenge Podium
The UDC's winning team, “Backup Team,” demonstrated superior understanding of logical data management by seamlessly integrating disparate data sources and standardizing the semantics through a universal semantic layer. This layer was then exposed via an application developed with the Denodo AI SDK. Their work focused on analyzing youth employment indicators to identify the most relevant factors influencing this critical social metric.
The winning team, “Backup Team,” from left to right: Brais Klein (from Denodo), Carmelo Alejandro García Almeida, Sergio Fonticoba Sueiras, Andrés Iglesias Bárbara, and María Sousa (from Denodo). The top-ranked teams were:
| Rank | Team Name |
| 1st Place | Backup Team |
| 2nd Place | IA-02 |
| 3rd Place | Query Squad |
"We learned a lot from this challenge, mainly about how applications are used in the workplace," said Sergio Fonticoba Sueiras, captain of the winning team. "The most exciting part wasn't just the ranking — it was discovering how far we could push our limits. Every round presented a new hurdle that forced us to learn a new approach or a more efficient architecture. We came out of this not just as winners, but as much more capable data professionals."
When asked about securing second place, Brais Olveira from IA-02 said, “Given that participants from all over the world join this challenge, based on what we'd seen in previous years, we couldn't know exactly how the other teams would approach it. We simply couldn't estimate the outcome. While we were determined to perform well, I personally couldn't predict what the final result would be.”
"We are extremely proud of the level of innovation and professionalism demonstrated by the participants this year, especially the winning team from the University of A Coruña," said Alberto Pan, chief technology officer (CTO) at Denodo. "We also want to recognize DGVC for their outstanding commitment to the program. Mobilizing the highest number of participating teams shows a significant commitment to preparing students for the future of AI-driven business and providing them with critical, real-world experience with logical data management."
Prizes for the winning team and subsequent placers include gift cards, Denodo certification and training placement, Denodo merchandising including O’Reilly’s new book, The Rise of Logical Data Management, and promotion across multiple Denodo channels. DGVC will receive a special award recognizing their outstanding institutional support of the Denodo Academic Program.
About the Denodo Academic Program
The Denodo Academic Program prepares students through virtual, self-paced training modules, live workshops, and a free version of the Denodo Platform, aiming to equip the next generation of data professionals with the necessary skills for tomorrow’s industry challenges.