HackPSU is Penn State's student-run hackathon and the largest technology event at Penn State. Join us and hundreds of other students from across the world for 24 hours of innovation, creation, and fun! From seasoned coding veterans to first-time hackers in any major or field, students of all skill levels will find technologically engaging challenges, professional networking, educational resources, and plenty of entertainment throughout our event!
At HackPSU, participants can discover their ability to create change by developing technology to solve real-world problems through collaboration with your peers and industry professionals. They gain new technical skills by attending workshops and taking on challenges. Our games and performances scheduled throughout the event give participants an opportunity to take a break and will be sure to keep them entertained. The whole event is a great way to meet new peers, network with our sponsor companies, and have a total blast!
Requirements
All projects must be submitted by 12:00PM (noon) on Sunday, March 17th. Participants will have until the end of hacking time at 1:45PM on Sunday to continue editing their submissions, but they must be in place by noon to allow time to assign tables at the judging exposition.
All code written for your submission must be attached to this submission (preferably by linking to a public GitHub repository).
All team members must be listed on the submission so that prizes can be awarded accordingly.
To be eligible for prizes, at least one team member must present your project at the judging exposition, but the expo is not the only criterion for judging. The quality of the Devpost submission also plays a large part in our judges' deliberation, so make sure not to neglect it!
Each team is only allowed to submit 1 project.
Projects can be disqualified at the organizers' discretion. Reasons might include but are not limited to breaking the rules, breaking the Code of Conduct, or other unsporting behavior.
Prizes
HackPSU 1st Place
The standard HackPSU experience: work together alone or in a team to build something awesome! All monetary prizes will be split among the winning team members equally.
1st Place: $300
2nd Place: $150
3rd Place: $100
Winners will also get MLH Winner Pins.
HackPSU 2nd Place
The standard HackPSU experience: work together alone or in a team to build something awesome! All monetary prizes will be split among the winning team members equally.
1st Place: $300
2nd Place: $150
3rd Place: $100
HackPSU 3rd Place
The standard HackPSU experience: work together alone or in a team to build something awesome! All monetary prizes will be split among the winning team members equally.
1st Place: $300
2nd Place: $150
3rd Place: $100
Best Web Hack Using React
Sponsored by Peraton. Each participant on the winning team will receive a $100 gift card, Peraton swag and merch
Sustainability Award
Awarded to the team that demonstrates the most innovative use of technology to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship. A total of $150 will be distributed as Amazon gift cards, divided equally among the members of the winning team.
Generative AI Award
Awarded to the hack with the best use of generative artificial intelligence. A total of $150 will be paid out via Amazon gift cards split evenly among the winning team members.
Entrepreneurship Award
Awarded to the hack with the most sustainable business model, including considerations of monetization, target audience, and future growth. A total of $500 will be paid out via Amazon gift cards split evenly among the winning team members.
Most Creative Adobe Express Add-On
Win a Wacom Wireless Drawing Tablet & JBL Go3 Speaker.
Adobe Express is an AI-first, all-in-one content creation app that makes it fast, easy and fun to design and share videos, images, PDFs, flyers, TikToks, logos and more. Best of all, it’s free to get started.
Add-ons in Adobe Express are simply extensions and integrations that are built upon very powerful APIs. These APIs provide access to the user’s document, connections to third-party tools, and so much more. You can extend the functionality of Adobe Express using add-ons to unlock new capabilities and workflows. Check out these add-ons to see what other cool ideas developers have implemented!
For this hackathon, we want you to build a creative add-on for Adobe Express. Users are looking for add-ons that involve assets like stickers or icons, work with presentations and data visualization, and work in roles like marketing and e-commerce. Build an Adobe Express add-on this weekend for a chance to win a Wacom Wireless Drawing Tablet and JBL Go3 Speaker for you and each member of your team!
Best AI Application Built with Cloudflare
Win an Arduino Kit!
Cloudflare is one of the world’s largest networks enabling hackers like you to build, deploy, and deliver trusted applications, no matter where you are! With Cloudflare, you’ll have all the building blocks to create a full-stack application; from C3 instance deployment to object storage. You can even run machine learning models in the cloud and leverage your AI functionality via API requests using Cloudlfare’s Workers AI! Enjoy Cloudflare’’s generous free tier to get started at no cost! This weekend, we want you to build an AI Application utilizing Cloudflare’s numerous services for a chance to win Arduino Student Kits for you and your team!
Best Use of Flow
Win $200 USD in FLOW Token.
Flow is a public, decentralized, layer-one blockchain designed for creating limitless Web3 apps for mainstream adoption. Flow empowers hackers like you to build decentralized applications and share them with the world. Write safe and readable smart contracts with Cadence and explore the potential of composable, on-chain logic. With SDKs in multiple languages like Javascript, Go, Kotlin, Python, Swift, Unity, you can jump in and start your hack using Flow this weekend for a chance to win $200 USD worth of FLOW token for each member of your team!
Best Use of Auth0
Win Wireless Headphones & Battery Pack.
Auth0 wants your applications to be secure! Why spend hours building features like social sign-in, Multi-Factor Authentication, and passwordless log-in when you can enable them through Auth0 straight out of the box? Auth0 is free to try, doesn’t require a credit card, and allows for up to 7,000 free active users and unlimited log-ins. Make your new account today and use any of the Auth0 APIs for a chance to win a pair of wireless headphones and a battery pack for you and each member of your team!
Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
Win M5GO IoT Starter Kit.
MongoDB Atlas takes the leading modern database and makes it accessible in the cloud! Get started with a $50 credit for students or sign up for the Atlas free forever tier (no credit card required). Along with a suite of services and functionalities, you'll have everything you need to manage all of your data, and you can get a headstart with free resources from MongoDB University! Build a hack using MongoDB Atlas for a chance to win a M5GO IoT Starter Kit for you and each member of your team.
Best .Tech Domain Name
Win Blue Snowball Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for Life!
Make your Team's Achievements timeless: Win a .Tech Domain Name for Life to Showcase and Expand Your Project, Plus 4 Blue Snowball Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
HackPSU Organizers
HackPSU
Judging Criteria
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Knowledge and Growth
Did the team learn something new? Did they use unfamiliar software or dive into an unfamiliar subject area? Does the team demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter gained during the hackathon? -
Clarity
Did the team convey their ideas in a way that is understandable to the audience? Is their problem and proposed solution well-stated? How effectively does the team demonstrate the capabilities of their solution? -
Implementation
Is the project functional and easy to operate for the target demographic? Is the solution viable and effective in addressing the problem statement? Does it reflect the quality of the outcome? -
Technical Skills
Is the project technically challenging relative to the team size? How intricate is the solution? Did developing this solution properly challenge the group? -
Creativity and Originality
Is the project novel, original and not-obvious? Does it approach a problem from an unusual or different perspective?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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