About the challenge

Incubator Hacks is a beginner-focused climate hackathon in Waterloo. We bring together high school students who are curious about tech and sustainability to build projects and meet new people. Our mission is to combine the fast-paced nature of a hackathon with the supportive mentorship of an incubator.

What makes Incubator Hacks special?

  • 🌱 Beginner-first approach: No prior experience required. Every participant is guided through workshops, mentors, and peer collaboration.
  • 🌍 Climate focus: All projects tackle sustainability challenges, in an effort to empower youth to use technology to imagine a greener future.
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Community & mentorship: Local mentors will be available throughout the event to answer questions, share advice, and support teams as they work on their projects.
  • 🎉 Fun: Trivia, scavenger hunts, bubble tea, a spicy noodle challenge, and karaoke give everyone a chance to take breaks and enjoy time together.

📅 Schedule Highlights

Day 1 – In-Person (October 4th, United College, UW)

  • Registration, Opening Ceremony & Hacker Kick-Off
  • A scavenger hunt
  • Workshops: How to Pitch 101, Bobadrop, Intro to Evolutionary Algorithms
  • Food, bubble tea, Trivia & spicy noodle challenge
  • Booths with merch available for participants
  • Evening wrap-up with karaoke 🎤

Day 2 – Online (October 5th, Discord)

  • Nvidia Workshop
  • Gartic Phone
  • Closing Ceremony

 

Requirements

What to Build

  • Create an original project related to climate or sustainability.

  • Projects can be software or hardware and use any programming language or platform.

  • All work must be done during the hackathon — no pre-built projects or old code.

  • Projects should include a tech component (e.g., app, website, hardware prototype, or other digital tool).

What to Submit

  • A Devpost project page that includes:

    • Project title, description, and the problem it solves.

    • A list of technologies, tools, or hardware used.

    • Screenshots, diagrams, or other visuals that explain the project.

    • A short video pitch (3-4 minutes) showing how the project works.

  • A link to your code repository (GitHub, GitLab, etc.) if applicable.

  • Credits for all team members.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

8 non-cash prizes
1st Place
1 winner

Drone (NAFYRE N11), PCBWay Sponsored $25 Coupon, 2-year VIP CodeCrafters Membership, JAMHacks Acceptance

2nd Place
1 winner

Echo Dot (Newest Edition), 1-year VIP CodeCrafters Membership, Free Brilliant Subscription

3rd Place
1 winner

Rocket Book Notebook, Free Brilliant Subscription, 6-month VIP CodeCrafters membership

Best Use of Chircuit (our mascot)
1 winner

Awarded to the most creative project that finds a fun way to feature Chircuit, the Incubator Hacks mascot.

Prize: Duck Plushie + Cleanshot Licenses

Best Pitch
1 winner

For the clearest, most persuasive presentation of a project’s idea, problem, and solution.

Prize:
- 1-year subscriptions for NordVPN, NordPass, NordProtect and Incogni
- 1 GB of free data for Saily
- 3-month access and €200 credit for nexos.ai

Ocean Sustainability Prize
1 winner

For the project that best addresses marine or aquatic environmental issues — “Whale Done, Squeaky Clean Sea, Most Likely to Be Friends with the Fishes.”

Prize: Solar Powerbank, $25 AoPS Coupon

Best Solo Hack
1 winner

For a strong project built by a single hacker.

Prize: RGB Keyboard (Redragon K688)

Best Beginner Hack
1 winner

For first-time hackers who show creativity, learning, and effort.

Prize: $25 Best Buy Gift Card + Cleanshot Licenses, Wolfram certificate

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Elisha Wong
Co-organizer

Shreemayi Kurup
Co-organizer

Lawrentina D'Souza

Salma Elgohary

Serena Xu

Andrew Dai

Andrew Dai

Abdulhamid Daghistani

Abdulhamid Daghistani

Araf Reshad

Araf Reshad

Judging Criteria

  • Innovation & Creativity
    The project is an original idea and addresses a genuine issue using a unique solution.
  • Technical Execution
    The project has a strong back-end, clean and efficient lines of code, very few bugs, uses complex programming functions, etc.
  • Social/Environmental Impact & Relevance
    The project has a clear focus on sustainability and solves an important real-world issue. The idea shows relevance to an issue and actively creates a solution.
  • User Experience & Presentation
    The design and interface are visually appealing and easy to use. The presentation is clear, efficiently communicates the problem, addresses an issue, and promotes the value of their solution.
  • Feasibility & Scalability
    The project was built with practical considerations and is capable of expanding to a larger audience.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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