The first Virginia Datathon was held in September 2014 at the Commonwealth of Virginia Innovative Technology Symposium (COVITS) in Richmond, Virginia. The event was a first of its kind among state governments across the country. Teams from across the state were challenged to create applications using state data to promote efficiency and transparency within state government. The teams presented their projects to a panel of expert judges and conference attendees who voted for the best solution. The spirit of the event prevails today with participants engaging in the sandbox provided and leveraging technology, exercising creativity, and wielding data to develop transformative solutions addressing complex problems.

The event is now produced by the Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics. Event participants include state agencies, students, localities, non-profits, and private sector employees.

A virtual kickoff will be held on April 4th, 2025 when registered participants are briefed on this year's theme and provided with the datasets. Teams will have nearly a week to develop an innovative solution and presentation related to the proposed challenge. On April 11, 2025 everyone is invited to the Richmond ACCA Shriners' Center (1712 Bellevue Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23227) where a panel of judges will review the team presentations and awards will be announced.

Each year a new theme and complex challenge is presented to participants. Past themes have addressed the opioid epidemic, outcomes in education, contrasting COVID-19 community experiences, food insecurity, workforce development, and more.   

This year’s focus is on the challenge of evaluating and improving the Commonwealth's transportation model under the theme “Leveraging Data for Smoother Transportation.” 

Learn More

Sponsorship Opportunities

Interested in sponsoring the event? Email us at odga@odga.virginia.gov for more information or check out the 2025 Sponsor Package for available options.