Innovation Hacks 2025

April 19–20 | ECG + ECF | Arizona State University

About the Challenge

Innovation Hacks 2025 is a premier 24-hour hackathon hosted by The AI Society, Google Developer Student Club (GDSC), and the Software Developers Association (SoDA) at Arizona State University.

This event brings together a vibrant community of developers, designers, and problem-solvers to innovate, collaborate, and transform bold ideas into impactful projects. Whether you are an experienced hacker or participating in your very first hackathon, Innovation Hacks is an inclusive and welcoming space designed to foster creativity, learning, and growth.

Over the course of 24 hours, participants will have the opportunity to explore cutting-edge technologies, attend workshops and keynote sessions, and compete for exciting prizes across multiple categories. Join us for an unforgettable weekend of building, networking, and inspiration.

Requirements

For participants to be eligible for judging the Devpost project, they must have the project write-up and evidence of work done (code and GitHub where applicable, zip). Some sponsor prizes may have explicit requirements as well so please check the prize category description.

In the instance there are team members, all team members must be registered for the hackathon individually and must be in the devpost submission before the submission deadline.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$9,227+ in prizes
+ other prizes
The AI Society: AI in Innovation
$525 in cash
3 winners

This track challenges you to design and build intelligent web agents using AI tools like large language models (LLMs), computer vision, Reinforcement Learning, or other helpful techniques. Your agent should act as an assistant that helps people with real-life tasks—whether that means saving time, solving problems, or making daily life a little easier.

- First place - Electronic Prize Pool (First Pick)
- Second place - Electronic Prize Pool (Second Pick)
- Third place - $20 Amazon Giftcard per Member

SoDA: K12 Computer Science Education
$800 in cash
3 winners

To support the Desert CodeSprouts workshop at ASU SCAI, there is a need for creative, engaging educational content tailored to middle school students exploring computer science for the first time. We challenge teams to design hands-on, age-appropriate learning modules that make complex topics like programming, UI design, ML and cybersecurity approachable and fun. The goal is to foster early interest in computing through interactive experiences that are both informative and inspiring. Participants will help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and K–12 engagement by shaping content that resonates with younger learners.

- First place - $75 Amazon Gift Cards per Team Member
- Second place - $50 Amazon Gift Cards per Team Member
- Third place - Electronics Prize Pool

GDSC: Best Productivity Tools
$960 in cash
3 winners

Maintaining peak productivity while studying or working is tougher than ever - distractions like phones, social media, or even zoning out at your desk make it tough to stay on task. Timers and to-do lists help, but they don’t keep you accountable in the moment. Your challenge is to design a solution that helps individuals stay on task by identifying moments of drift and guiding them back into a productive state.

- First place - TBA
- Second place - TBA
- Third place - TBA

Qruil: Job Board Features
$580 in cash
3 winners

Qruil aims to redefine the job search and hiring process by building software that addresses common pain points faced by employers and applicants. Despite the abundance of job boards, many still lack intuitive tools for matching talent with opportunity, streamlining communication, and surfacing relevant insights. This hackathon track invites teams to design and prototype innovative features that enhance the hiring experience. The challenge is to create solutions that save time, improve fit, and make the process more human on both sides of the platform.

- First place - TBA
- Second place - TBA
- Third place - TBA

Best Rookie by sunhacks
$316 in cash
2 winners

The criteria is majority number of people in the team are participating in a hackathon for the first time.

- 1st place receives min(4, len(team))` AirTags
- 2nd place receives $25 Amazon Gift Cards

Most Sophisticated Prototype by ACM at ASU
2 winners

Judged by ACM Student Chapter

Best Use of MATLAB by Mathworks
2 winners

Judged by Mathworks Company Representatives

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

The Software Developers Association

The Software Developers Association

GDSC

GDSC

The AI Society

The AI Society

Judging Criteria

  • Depends on Individual Clubs, Check Discord

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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