Dates
- Hackathon Begins: October 1st
- Submission Deadline: October 7th
- Winners Announced: October 15th
All projects must be submitted through Devpost before the submission deadline. Late submissions may not be considered for judging.
Eligibility
- Participants must be current high school students.
- Participants may compete individually or in teams of up to 4 students.
- No prior programming, AI, or hackathon experience is required.
- Beginners are strongly encouraged to participate.
- Each participant may only compete on one team.
- All team members must be listed on the Devpost submission.
- Participants must follow their school's rules and all applicable laws and platform policies.
Project and Submission Requirements
Teams must create a new technology-based project during the hackathon.
Projects may include websites, apps, AI tools, games, hardware, robotics, productivity tools, educational technology, accessibility tools, automation systems, or other technological solutions.
There is no limit on how much AI assistance participants may use while developing their project.
AI may be used for coding, debugging, research, brainstorming, design, documentation, graphics, presentations, or any other part of the development process.
Teams are also strongly encouraged to integrate AI into the functionality of their final product, where appropriate. The strongest AI projects will use AI to meaningfully accomplish something for the user rather than adding AI solely for the sake of having it.
Participants must be able to explain their project, demonstrate how it works, and answer questions from judges.
Previously created projects may not simply be submitted unchanged. Existing tools, code, or projects may be used as a foundation, but teams must make meaningful new contributions during ImpactHack.
Every Devpost submission must include:
1) Project name
2) Project description
3) The problem being addressed
4) Explanation of the solution
5) Technologies used
6) AI models, tools, or APIs used
7) Screenshots or images
8) Source-code link when applicable
9) 2–4 minute demo video
Prizes
Awards will recognize outstanding projects across several areas.
🥇 1st Place — ImpactHack Champion
Highest-scoring project overall.
🥈 2nd Place
Second-highest-scoring project overall.
🥉 3rd Place
Third-highest-scoring project overall.
🏅 4th Place
Fourth-highest-scoring project overall.
🏅 5th Place
Fifth-highest-scoring project overall.
🏅 6th Place
Sixth-highest-scoring project overall.
🏅 7th Place
Seventh-highest-scoring project overall.
🏅 8th Place
Eighth-highest-scoring project overall.
🏅 9th Place
Ninth-highest-scoring project overall.
🏅 10th Place
Tenth-highest-scoring project overall.
Special Awards
🤖 Best Use of AI
Best meaningful use of AI in the final product.
💡 Most Innovative
Most creative or original project.
⚙️ Best Technical Project
Strongest technical implementation.
🌎 Best Social Impact
Project with the greatest positive impact.
🎓 Best Education Project
Best project focused on learning or education.
♿ Best Accessibility Project
Best project improving accessibility or inclusion.
🚀 Best Productivity & Automation
Best project for saving time, improving workflows, or automating tasks.
🎨 Best Design & UX
Best overall design and user experience.
📊 Best Data & Analytics
Best use of data, analysis, prediction, or visualization.
🔧 Best Hardware / IoT
Best hardware, robotics, electronics, or connected-device project.
🎤 Best Demo & Presentation
Clearest and strongest final project demonstration.
❤️ Judges' Choice
A standout project selected by the judging panel.
🗳️ People's Choice
Most popular project based on participant and community voting.
Teams may receive both an Overall Placement and one or more Special Awards.
Judges may additionally recognize several projects as ImpactHack Honorable Mentions for exceptional work that deserves recognition but does not receive another award.
Judging Criteria and Winner Selection
Submissions will be evaluated using the following criteria:
Impact — 20%
Does the project address a meaningful problem or provide genuine value to its users?
Technical Execution — 20%
How effectively was the project designed and developed? Does the technology support what the team is trying to accomplish?
Innovation & Creativity — 15%
How original, creative, or interesting is the solution?
Functionality — 15%
How well does the prototype actually work? Are the main features successfully demonstrated?
Use of AI & Technology — 15%
How effectively does the project use AI or other technology to expand its capabilities? Judges will consider whether the technology is meaningfully integrated into the product rather than included solely for the sake of using it.
Presentation & Demo — 15%
How clearly does the team communicate the problem, solution, and functionality of the project through its Devpost submission and demo video?
Total: 100%
Judges will review each eligible submission and score projects according to these criteria.
In the event of a tie, judges may consider overall impact, originality, technical achievement, and the quality of the final demonstration.
All judging decisions are final.