McHacks brings together students from diverse backgrounds to collaborate, build, and innovate over an intensive weekend of hacking. Inspired by the idea that great technology can feel a little like magic, this year’s hackathon encourages participants to turn ambitious ideas into working solutions through creativity, teamwork, and technical skill. Whether you’re developing software, designing hardware, or exploring new applications of technology, McHacks is a space to experiment, learn, and create something impactful.
Participants can join individually or as part of a team and will have a limited amount of time to design, develop, and present a project. Throughout the hackathon, attendees will have access to workshops, mentorship from industry professionals, and resources to support their development process. Projects will be evaluated by a panel of experienced judges based on criteria such as creativity, technical execution, and overall impact.
No matter your experience level, McHacks is an opportunity to challenge yourself, gain hands-on experience, and connect with a community of passionate builders
Requirements
Main Requirements
McHacks 13 is a non-themed hackathon. You are free to build any project you desire. You must create a Dev Post for your project prior to the end of the hacking period. Each project is automatically entered for the Top 3 Hacks prize.
Additional requirements
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You must include videos, photos, or screenshots of your working product.
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You must include a link to your source code (GitHub, etc.).
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If you would like to enter any other prizes that are not the Top 3 Hacks, you must tag the prize name(s).
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All teams must submit their check-in forms at the designated times.
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All projects must be submitted before the end of the hacking period.
Prizes
First Place
Second Place
Meta Ray Ban Glasses for each team member
Third Place
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones for each team member
People's Choice
Iconic and Comfy McGill Computer Science Merch of Your Choice for each team member
Best Beginner Hack
Bluetooth Speaker for each team member
Best Design
Wacom Drawing Tablets for Each Team Member
Chaotic Evil
Snuggies for the whole team!
Best Use of AI / AI Agents Sponsored by Botpress
$100 Amazon Gift Card per team member provided by Tail'ed
Anchored Insight: Motion-Tracked Annotations for Live Medical Video by HoloRay
- $300 CAD for each member of the winning team
- Fast-track to final-round interview consideration for a summer Internship at HoloRay
Best Athena AI Agent for University Students
1st place:
- 6 months free trial for Athena AI Premium
- Custom T-shirt / Mug
- Invited to the next Athena AI Agent contest
Top 3:
- Gift boxes from Signe Local: https://www.signelocal.com/
- Invited to the next Athena AI Agent contest for $2000 (USD) in prize: https://athenachat.bot/contestTop 3: Custom T-shirt or Mug
Top 5: Interview with Athena AI team to promote their AI Agent to the 3M+ users of Athena AI.
Top 10: 1 month free trial for Athena AI Premium ($450 in value)
Best AI project that uses the Gumloop API
1st place: $1000
2nd place: $500
3rd place: $250
National Bank High-Frequency Trading Strategy Development Competition
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 some wireless earbuds!
Best Use of Auth0
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? You can also secure your AI applications with Auth0 for AI Agents. 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 for you and each member of your team!
Best Use of Gemini API
Win Google Swag Kits! 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? Think of the possibilities… what will you build with the Google Gemini API this weekend?
Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
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 Use of DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean offers a reliable and easy-to-use cloud platform for every stage of your project. Leverage core services like Droplets, Managed Databases, and App Platform to build, deploy, and scale your application effortlessly. Building with AI? DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI enables you to build, train, and deploy machine learning models, including access to GPU infrastructure and serverless inference! Sign up for DigitalOcean today and get $200 worth of free credits that you can use towards building your next great hack. Build with DigitalOcean's robust cloud infrastructure for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your teammates!
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.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
esteemed judges of mchacks
Judging Criteria
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Execution
Does the hack work? Is it easy to use? Quality of the user interface, design, and aesthetics? -
Technical Complexity
How technically impressive was the hack? Was the technical problem the team tackled difficult? Is the technology used in a clever way? Is it complex? -
Impact
Could it solve a real-world problem or make a difference in people’s lives? Could it disrupt the status quo? Could it be scaled? -
Creativity
Is this idea original? Does it use innovative problem solving? Has this idea been done at hackathons before / does it already exist?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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