Gallery
43 pictures from the awards and projects on this site, newest first. Each set says what it is about and links to the full story. Click any picture to enlarge it.
Showing 43 of 43 pictures in 24 sets
Award
First place in four challenges, Deep Dive into Blockchain
4 firsts
Won the final project and three challenges at the University of Zurich Blockchain Center's summer school in Stellenbosch, on an industry scholarship.
The Pacy team with their first-place medals for the best group project. Talhah Patelia is second from the right. Receiving a winner's badge for the DAO governance (voting) challenge. The Proof-of-Work mining challenge. The Cardano staking challenge. Presenting the final project, Pacy. With the University of Zurich confirmation for the summer school, 5 to 24 July 2026.
Award
Coach, AFRETEC SEED Challenge winners
Coach
Coached, with Jared Swart, Dr. Crop: a pan-African student team whose offline crop-disease tool won the agriculture track.
Certificates of recognition at the AFRETEC SEED Challenge dinner at Wits, 2026. Talhah Patelia is on the left and Jared Swart is second from left. At the AFRETEC SEED Challenge dinner at Wits, with Jared Swart behind. On stage at the AFRETEC SEED Challenge dinner at Wits. Talhah Patelia is third from the left.
Award
ISC25 Student Cluster Competition
Competed
Took part online, with a Wits team, in the ISC25 Student Cluster Competition, which is held in Hamburg.
Certificate of achievement, ISC25, June 2025.
Award
Top 25 finalist, ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge
Top 25
One of 25 finalist teams from more than 300 that entered, at the final round at Qinghai University in Xining, China.
The Wits HPC team at the ASC25 awards evening in Xining, China. Talhah Patelia is fourth from the left. Photo: Wits HPC.
Award
Special Dean's Award
Full tuition
Full tuition for a Master's at Wits, awarded to members of the Wits HPC team for national and international student supercomputing results.
Page 26 of the faculty awards booklet.
Award
2nd overall, CHPC National Student Cluster Competition
2nd overall
Wits A placed second of ten teams, won the MATLAB Coding Challenge and took the highest LINPACK result.
Wits A at the CHPC National Student Cluster Competition, Gqeberha, December 2024. Photo: CHPC. Wits A at work in their booth. Photo: CHPC.
Award
1st place, AFRETEC Innovation Challenge, Nairobi
1st
Led a decentralised farm storage and logistics platform to first place at the University of Nairobi. The prize included a funded incubator stay in Rwanda.
With the team at the C4DLab, University of Nairobi, 2024. Showing the prototype: cardboard storage units and a map of Kenya.
Award
Student Entrepreneur Recognition
Recognised
Certificate from the Wits Innovation Centre for building Gotcha, signed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation.
Certificate of Student Entrepreneur Recognition, 26 April 2024.
Award
Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Candidate Fellow
Fellow
A fellowship that carries a 100% scholarship.
Jamboree 2024 name tag.
Award
Certificate of Merit, Wits-Edinburgh doctoral programme
Merit
Awarded in the Wits-Edinburgh Sustainable African Futures Doctoral Programme, run in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
Certificate of Merit, 4 September 2023.
Award
Winning pitch, IEEE Entrepreneurship Prospectors workshop
Winner
Gotcha, an exam-integrity venture built with Jesse Thornburg, was chosen as the winning pitch from seven teams.
Workshop participants at Wits. Photo from the IEEE Entrepreneurship report. The workshop certificate records participation and completion. IEEE's report names Gotcha as the winning pitch.
Award
Top 10 project, Engineers Without Borders challenge
Top 10
A housing design for migrants built from recycled plastics and bottles, ranked among the top projects of about 1,400 students.
The frame, built at small scale.
Project
Housing from recycled plastic
A low-cost housing design for migrants using recycled plastics and bottles. Top 10 of about 1,400 student projects.
A smaller model. An orange connector joining the bottles.
Completion certificate, 16 September 2021.
Award
Winner, TADHack South Africa
Winner
Won the national hackathon at 16 with Maftuha, an all-in-one platform for schools.
Maftuha's exam screen, from the TADHack demo video.
Award
Silver, Taiwan International Science Fair
Silver
Represented South Africa with Agribot, an agriculture robot entered with Zayd Kara.
Announcement card from Eskom Expo.
Award
Gold, Eskom Expo
Gold
Gold at the 2020 Eskom Expo for Agribot, which was then chosen to represent South Africa in Taiwan.
At an Eskom Expo event.
Award
3D-printed face shields for medical staff
Full Colours
Printed more than 1,000 face shields during the 2020 lockdown, distributed through the Salaam Foundation. Earned Full Colours at Reddam House.
Talhah Patelia holding a stack of 3D-printed face shield frames in front of 3D printers
Award
Gold, robotics, SA-YESS
Gold
Gold medal at the South African Youth Engineering and Science Symposium for Scietmeer, which led to the selection for IFEST Tunisia.
SA-YESS gold medal certificate, 29 November 2019.
Project
Scietmeer
A six-wheeled mobile science laboratory for search and rescue, archaeology, architecture and farming. Silver at IFEST Tunisia.
CAD render.
Award
Gold and two special prizes, North Gauteng Science Fair
Gold
A cave-exploring robot won a gold medal, the best project in the GrottoBot challenge, and second place overall among 527 learners.
Talhah Patelia holding his North Gauteng Science Fair certificates in a sports hall Receiving a special prize. Gold certificate. Special prize: best project in the GrottoBot Challenge. Special prize: second best overall project.
Award
Gold, Eskom Expo regional fair
Gold
Gold medal on 20 July 2019 for a robot he designed, printed and programmed.
Gold medal certificate, 20 July 2019.
Award
1st place, VUT and AMS Science Fair
1st
First place for a 3D-printed quadruped robot that he programmed to walk, aged 13.
The quadruped prototype, May 2018.