HackNC 2025 will take place from October 11th to 12th at UNC Chapel-Hill!
HackNC is a weekend for students of all skill levels to broaden their talents. Your challenge is to make an awesome project in just 24 hours. You will have access to hands-on workshops and demos from our sponsors, as well as exciting talks about the awesome things happening right now with computer science and technology - not to mention all of the free food, shirts, stickers, and swag!
HackNC begins with just a weekend, but we hope you're ready to learn new skills, make friends, and foster ideas here that flourish!
Requirements
HackNC 2025 Devpost: https://hacknc-2025.devpost.com/
SUBMISSION OF BOTH YOUR VIDEO AND YOUR CODE IS MANDATORY We will not be giving extensions. Hackers can submit ahead of time then edit until the deadline!
- Create your Devpost submission on our HackNC 2025 Devpost BY 11:00 AM EST on Sunday, October 12.
- Every team can only submit one project. Multiple submissions per team will not be allowed.
- Every submission must include a GitHub link to any code written for the hack, unless previous arrangements were made with the Directors.
- We will not be accepting cross-posted submissions to other hackathons, or submissions that have been developed (either partially or fully prior to the official start of hacking for HackNC.
- Every submission must include a max. 2-minute long demo video showcasing the features of the project.
- We cannot guarantee that judges will fully watch your video if they’re longer than 2 minutes.
- Projects without a demo video will not be judged. These videos will be shown to our judges and if your project ends up winning a general category or track prize, it may be played/published on our social media channels.
- Visit our Devpost page and create a Devpost account
- Make sure all of your teammates also create accounts so you can add them when you submit your project
- Have one member of your team start a submission for our hackathon
- Fill out the necessary questions and choose the prizes that you’re competing for
- You must answer whether you want to be considered for the beginner or general track
- You may opt into any of our other tracks (Retro Tech Track, Community Track, etc.)
- Here are our recommended methods for creating videos:
- OBS Studio
- Join a Zoom call, screen share, and record it
- Mac Screen Recorder
- Some tips from organizers and mentors:
- (1) Have a clear, concise explanation for what you built and what problem you are solving
- (2) Show a walkthrough demo of a key user journey
- (3) Mention any sponsor technologies you used if you are going for their prizes
- (4) Try to speak at a relatively fast pace (don't go overboard though) so you can communicate more information about your project
- (5) Focus on what’s unique about your project
- Use the Tables tab on our Devpost to find your assigned table on Sunday. Judges may come around to your table to find out additional information about your hack.
- The Demo Fair is a great time to see what other people have created during HackNC 2025!
Prizes
HackNC General - 1st Place
Choose 1 from: AirPods 4 with Noise Cancelling OR 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard and Mouse OR Polaroid Now Gen 3 Camera Bundle
+
MLH Winner Pins
HackNC General - 2nd Place
Choose 1 from: Logitech Wave Keyboard OR JBL Clip 5 Speaker
+
MLH Winner Pins
HackNC General - 3rd Place
Choose 1 from: Razer Kraken Headset OR Anker Power Bank
+
MLH Winner Pins
HackNC Beginner - 1st Place
Choose 1 from: AirPods 4 with Noise Cancelling OR 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard and Mouse OR Polaroid Now Gen 3 Camera Bundle
HackNC Beginner - 2nd Place
Choose 1 from: Logitech Wave Keyboard OR JBL Clip 5 Speaker
HackNC Beginner - 3rd Place
Choose 1 from: Razer Kraken Headset OR Anker Power Bank
Hack NC Retro Tech
1st Place: Choose 1 from: Raspberry Pi Starter Kit OR Kodak Digital Camera
2nd Place: Choose 1 from: Victrola Retro Speaker OR Nixie Tube Clock
HackNC - Best Community Hack
UNC Basketball Jersey
HackNC - Ig Turing
Palm Pals Rubber Ducky Plush
Capital One Best Personal Finance Hack
$250 gift card for each team member. There can be multiple winners!
Fidelity Open-to-Invest Hack
$100 Amazon gift card for each team member
Lowe’s Future of Smart Home Improvement
1st: In Progress
2nd: In Progress
3rd: In Progress
Data-Driven EnviroLab x School of Data Science & Society: Climate Action in North Carolina
Super cool clout!
[MLH] Best Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry
Digital Gift Cards GoDaddy Registry is giving you everything you need to be the best hacker no matter where you are. Register your domain name with GoDaddy Registry for a chance to win some amazing prizes!
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
Mechanical Keyboards || It’s time to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI using Google Gemini. Check out the Gemini API to build AI-powered apps that make your friends say WHOA. So, what can Gemini do for your hackathon project? Understand language like a human and build a chatbot that gives personalized advice Analyze info like a supercomputer and create an app that summarizes complex research papers Generate creative content like code, scripts, music, and more Think of the possibilities… what will you build with the Google Gemini API this weekend?
[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs Airpods || Deploy natural, human-sounding audio with ElevenLabs. Create realistic, dynamic, and emotionally expressive voices for any project, from interactive AI companions to narrated stories and voice-enabled apps. ElevenLabs will empower you to build rich, immersive experiences without the need for actors or complex audio production, using simply the power of AI. Integrate fully autonomous audio experiences into your hack with ElevenLabs and give your project a voice, along with giving your team the chance to win exclusive ElevenLabs branded airpods!
[MLH] Best Use of Arm
Handheld Game Console || Building with ARM allows you to create highly efficient, performant, and scalable applications & software! From IoT and Smart Devices, to AI and Machine Learning, ARM’s high performance computing and extreme energy efficiency will power whatever hackathon project you’re creating into the next level.
[MLH] Best Use of Snowflake API
Arduino Tiny ML Kit || Play with industry-leading LLMs on a single account using the Snowflake APIs. Adding AI capabilities into your application can be as simple as a single CURL command to Snowflake’s REST API. Build customized applications, RAG powered chat bots, or embed AI-powered features into your app in half the time with half the hassle. Get started for free with a special, student 120-day Snowflake trial and check out this repository for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini 2.5 Computer Use
3D Printing Pen || The Gemini 2.5 Computer Use model is a specialized model built on Gemini 2.5 Pro's capabilities that powers AI agents capable of interacting directly with user interfaces (UIs). Essentially, it enables AI agents to perform complex digital tasks by navigating web pages and applications just as a human would, by clicking, typing, and scrolling. Use Gemini 2.5 Computer Use in your project this weekend for a chance to win some 3D printing pens for you and your teammates!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Ayush Subramanian
Organizer
Sahasra Boga
Akhil Srivatsa
Ishwar Bansal
Meetu Malhotra
Jasdeep Singh
Nikhil Karra
Milind Jagre
Navinkumar Patil
Niraj Verma
Omoshola Owolabi
Raghu Teja Alapati
Sumeet Singh Arora
Sandeep Vuzzini
Yashas Majmudar
Yawal Dixit
Jerry Lin
Ajay Gandecha
Ketan Meyer-Patel
Mike Reed
Kevin Sun
Harsehaj Dhami
Jack Snoeyink
Sai Lahari Madhusudhan
Mac Chaffee
Ian Reyes
Mayank Prasad
Louis Vincelli
Sampath
Judging Criteria
-
Application/Impact
Does the project have any feasible application and/or have a social impact that goes above and beyond? Will this help the community with a real problem they are facing? Can this be implemented? Will people find value and use your project?. -
Functionality/Quality
Is the project free of major bugs? Does it look appealing? The UI/UX doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect, but if we're having a hard time understanding the project by looking at it, there may be a problem. -
Creativity
Is this project unique and innovative? Is it a solution or creation we have never seen before? A better way of doing something? -
Technical Complexity
The team should display a good level of knowledge in terms of the technology they’ve used in implementing their project. -
Presentation
The team is able to fully present the functionalities of their project, including what they wish to expand on in the future.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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