You must REGISTER with the link below to participate in this Hackathon.
Click this link to register
🦆 HACK.COMS 2025
HACK.COMS is a 25-hour hackathon hosted by the Computing Organization for Multicultural Students (COMS) at RIT.
COMS is committed to building a supportive community that celebrates the talent of underrepresented students in computing.
A hackathon is a collaborative event where developers, designers, and tech enthusiasts come together to create a project within a limited time frame, typically ranging from a few hours to a few days. The focus is on creativity, innovation, and teamwork, and the end result is a functional project that is often shared and utilized in the community. Gather with like-minded developers ranging from beginners to enthusiasts as you work together to create something incredible in just one day!
We'll have an incredible time this year! We've leveled up the experience with new food vendors, live performances, technical workshops, and new categories!
Get ready for a fun-filled experience that welcomes everyone! Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, our hackathon is the perfect opportunity to showcase your skills, collaborate with like-minded individuals, and have a great time!
Requirements
Participant(s) may work in teams of up to 4 members and can only submit projects that were started on Saturday, November 1st, 2025 at 12 pm and finished on Sunday, November 2nd, 2025 at 12 pm.
The participant(s) MUST submit a Devpost for their project to be considered for judging. The final Devpost submission must be completed by 12:00 p.m. on November 2nd, 2025. Participant(s) will present their projects in front of a panel of judges in the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, starting at 12:30 p.m. on November 2nd, 2025. Participant(s) will have 5 minutes to present, demo, and answer questions about their project.
SOFT DEADLINE:
To be considered for any category, participant(s) must submit a Devpost submission with the project name, the categories they will be competing for, and the table number they are at by 9:00 a.m. on November 2nd, 2025.
HARD DEADLINE:
All participant(s) MUST stop working on their projects on November 2nd at 12:00 pm. Participant(s) must submit their Devpost submissions by then. The submission should include a filled out Devpost, all the team participants, the table number, the categories the team is competing for, and link(s) to the code/artifacts.
Prizes
Goostavo's Favorite
Best Game for the Quackbox
This award showcases the most unique and fun game designed to run on Goosetavo Quillson Swanson II—a gaming console shaped like a duck, powered by a Raspberry Pi, and created by COMS!
PRIZE: 8Bitdo Ultimate 2 Controller + MLH Winner Pin (MAX 4 PRIZES)
Flock Together
Best Hack for Communities
Celebrating hacks that uplift all voices, foster belonging, and break down barriers to access. This award honors those that build with empathy, awareness, and community at their core.
PRIZE: HAPPRUN Native 1080P Bluetooth Projector + MLH Winner Pin (MAX 4 PRIZES)
Quackademy
Best Educational Hack
This award honors projects that teach, empower, or make learning more engaging, whether it helps to improve productivity, comprehension, or the enjoyment of education.
PRIZE: Amazon Echo Show 5 + MLH Winner Pin (MAX 4 PRIZES)
Flying Solo
Best Solo Hack
This award honors a single hackathon participant who is working independently. It is presented to the most unique or impressive project that showcases your individual creativity and ingenuity.
PRIZE: Soundcore Noise Canceling Headphones + MLH Winner Pin
First Flight
Best Freshman Hack
This award celebrates our first year hackathon participants! It is presented to the most unique, impressive, or well-developed project that showcases your creativity, talent, and willingness to learn.
PRIZE: CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit PRO - Turbine Black + MLH Winner Pin (128GB Edition + 8GB RAM) (MAX 4 PRIZES)
[MLH Prize] Best Use of Gemini API
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? PRIZE: Gemini Swag Bag (Organizer, Tumblr, and Notebook)
[MLH Prize] Best .Tech Domain Name
Make your Team's Achievements timeless: Win a .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years to Showcase and Expand Your Project, Plus Blue Snowball Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!
PRIZE: Blue Snowball Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years
[MLH Prize] Best Use of ElevenLabs
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!
PRIZE: ElevenLabs Airpods 4
[MLH Prize] Best Use of Snowflake API
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.
PRIZE: Arduino Tiny ML Kit
[MLH Prize] Best Use of DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI
DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI is a unified AI cloud for building, training, and deploying machine learning models and AI agents. Get access to GPU infrastructure like DigitalOcean GPU Droplets and Bare Metal servers, along with serverless inference and 1-Click Models for instant deployment of your favorite LLMs!!
Sign up for DigitalOcean today and get $200 worth of free credits that you can use towards building your next Gradient-powered hack. Enable your next project with DigitalOcean GradientTM AI for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your team mates!
PRIZE: 8BitDo Retro Mouse
[MLH Prize] Best Use of Solana
The world of development is evolving fast and Solana is leading the charge with a network built to handle all of your infrastructure needs. Forget high fees and slow confirmations, it’s time to build applications that are fast, efficient, and scalable.
Harness Solana's core advantages like blazing fast execution and near-zero transaction costs to make your hackathon ideas become real world projects. With Solana, the possibilities are endless.
Create a game, social app, or consumer product that relies on instant, high-frequency transactions.
Design a sophisticated trading, lending, or decentralized exchange (DEX).
Build a prototype for supply chain, identity, or payments that can handle massive, real-world volume.
Show us how you can innovate with Solana for a chance to win some cool prizes for you and each member of your team!
PRIZE: M5Stack Development Kit
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
A qualified panel of Judges
Judging Criteria
-
Judges make the final decision
The submission MUST include a filled out Devpost, all the team participants, the table number, the categories the team is competing for, and link(s) to the code/artifacts.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Tell your friends
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
