Find your Groove with hackUMBC 2025 from September 27th - 28th (In-Person) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County!
hackUMBC is a 24-hour hackathon for students of all skill levels! Over one unforgettable weekend, you’ll jam on projects, collaborate with new friends, and learn from hands-on workshops and demos from our sponsors and presenters! Just like any great festival, there will be plenty of swag, stickers, and shirts to take home!
More than a hackathon, hackUMBC is about creating, connecting, and hitting the right notes together! The ideas you build will continue to resonate long after the weekend ends!
All you need is a laptop and your sharpest thinking cap! We’ll provide the stage, the vibes, and the spotlight!
Learn more @ hackumbc.tech
Requirements
Submission Requirements:
- Create your Devpost submission on our hackUMBC 2025 Devpost before the hacking period ends. (Sunday, September 28th 11 AM EST)
- Finalize your Devpost submission on our hackUMBC 2025 Devpost before the hacking period ends (Sunday, September 28th 12 PM EST)
- Make sure your GitHub repository is set to Public before attaching the link on Devpost.
Project Requirements:
- Every team can only have a max of 4 members, and all team members must have been checked into the hackathon.
-
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 organizers.
-
Every submission must include a short demo video (about 30 seconds to 1 minute) showcasing your project. A simple screen recording with a voiceover is perfectly fine, no heavy editing required.
- Teams may submit their project to as many tracks as they'd like, but submissions must clearly fit the description and rules of each track entered.
- Organizers will have the right to disqualify projects from a specific track if it does not follow the guidelines of the track.
- If you are submitting to the First Time Hack, all team members must be attending their first hackathon.
-
Every submission must be in person and be able to complete a demo in 3-5 minutes, as projects that are not here in person to demo will not be judged.
Prizes
First Overall
Awarded to the project viewed as the best overall at hackUMBC!
Prize: Apple Mac Mini + MLH Winner Pins
Second Overall
Awarded to the project viewed as second best overall at hackUMBC!
Prize: Holy Stone GPS Drone with 4K Camera + MLH Winner Pins
Best First Time Hack
Best hack where all team members are attending their first hackathon, celebrating creativity, learning, and teamwork.
Prize: Arduino Starter Kit
Best Health/Environmental Hack
Best hack addressing healthcare, wellness, environmental sustainability, or climate-related challenges.
Prize: Portable Solar Panel
Best AI/ML Hack
Best hack utilizing artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques to solve real-world challenges or create innovative tools.
Prize: Amazon Fire Stick 4K
Best Educational Hack
Best hack designed to enhance teaching and foster learning through creative, accessible solutions.
Prize: Microscope
Best Design Hack
Best hack demonstrating outstanding UI/UX, visual appeal, and intuitive design. All participants who submit to this track will also receive preference for free 3-month Clip Studio DEBUT codes.
Prize: Clip Studio Paint Pro, 1-year license
Game Jamathon
A 24-hour game jam where participants create a playable game, showcasing creativity, design, and storytelling.
First place: Gaming Monitor and Desk Mat
Second place: 4 Aseprite Keys and Desk Mat
Third place: Desk Mat
Best First Time Game: 4 Aseprite Keys
Note: Participants are eligible for either the podium prizes or the Best First Time Game award, but not both.
Build-Your-CTF
Step into the role of challenge creator in Build-Your-CTF! Instead of solving puzzles, you'll design your own CTF (Capture the Flag) challenges, technical puzzles that test hacking skills across areas like web, crypto, forensics, and reverse engineering.
1. Portable Outdoor Mini Projector
2. Logitech Mouse
3. LEGO Technic Lunar Outpost Moon Rover Space Vehicle
Investor Education Challenge by T. Rowe Price
Design a solution that educates and empowers users to understand and apply key
investing principles. Your project should focus on at least one of the following areas:
- Investing Fundamentals: Risk vs. return, diversification, compounding, asset
classes.
- Market Behavior: Volatility, economic cycles, behavioral finance.
- Portfolio Management: Goal setting, rebalancing, risk tolerance, long-term
Prize: Portable Monitor
Best Student Insight Hack by DoIT
Most innovative solution using a knowledge graph of simulated academic student data. A GitHub link with the provided scripts is available: https://github.com/jasonpaluck/hackumbc-2025
Prize: Nintendo Switch 2 Bundled with Mario Kart World
Most Engaging Demo
Showcase your creativity! The most captivating demo will win a bluetooth record player! Bring your A-game to demo day!
Best Entrepreneurial Idea
The project with the strongest market potential, innovation, and a clear business vision will win a laptop stand!
MLH || Best AI Application Built with Cloudflare || 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 (create Cloudflare command line) instance deployment to object storage. You can even run GenAI (LLMs, text to image, Voice to text etc..) 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 Kits for you and your team!
MLH || Best .Tech Domain Name || Blue Snowball Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years!
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!
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?
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
TOP SECRET
Judging Criteria
-
Creativity
How unique, original, and innovative is this project’s idea or approach? -
Technical Complexity
How technically challenging and well-implemented is this project? -
Impact
How effectively does this project solve a real-world problem or address an important need? -
Execution
How well does the project function and deliver on its intended purpose?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Tell your friends
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
