Reality Hack at MIT 2026 - January 22-26, 2026

Reality Hack is a community-run experiential technology hackathon held at MIT co-hosted by a team of community volunteers (alumni, friends, and others) with the Reality Hack Organization and a student org VR/AR@MIT.  We all share a common goal: to educate, empower and enable people to be part of the experiential technology industries.

Requirements

By 11am on January 25th 2026 at Pencils down, you must have submitted:

  • Your code on Github/Codeberg and put this link in your team page on realityhack.world in the field currently marked "Github".
    • Your 30s-1min Sizzle Reel on your Devpost
    • Your Devpost page must be created. You can fill in the rest of your Devpost after Pencils Down, but should be finished by 6pm on Sunday.
    • We HIGHLY RECOMMEND to create a longer ~2min video to properly document your project and to showcase for your personal portfolios and beyond! Your future boss or coworkers might see it!

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$7,500+ in prizes
+ other prizes
Gold Prize
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Silver Prize
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Bronze Prize
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best of Hardware Hack
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best of Hardware Hack Runner-up
1 winner

Recognition.

Community Hack - Best Design
$500 in cash
1 winner

Community Hack - Best Execution
$500 in cash
2 winners

Community Hack - Honorable Mention
1 winner

Recognition.

Founders Lab Track Prize - Powered by Reality Hack for Startups and Sponsored by Cognitive3D
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Founders Lab Track Honorable Mention - Powered by Reality Hack for Startups and Sponsored by Cognitive3D
1 winner

Recognition.

Game Prototyping Track Prize - Powered by Preview Labs and Supported by Petricore Games
1 winner

To be confirmed.

XR for MIT Math and Physics Education Track - Supported by the Education Innovation Funds, Experimental Study Group, Math Department, and Physics Department at MIT
1 winner

To be confirmed.

XR Health and Wellness Design and Research Track 1st Place - Supported by Flow Meditation and AMXRA
1 winner

To be confirmed.

XR Health and Wellness Design and Research Track 2nd Place - Supported by Flow Meditation and AMXRA
1 winner

To be confirmed.

XR Health and Wellness Design and Research Track 3rd Place - Supported by Flow Meditation and AMXRA
1 winner

To be confirmed.

XR Health and Wellness Design and Research Track Honorable Mention - Supported by Flow Meditation and AMXRA
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Use of the Meta Wearables Device Access Toolkit Showcasing a Hands-free Everyday Use Case - Sponsored by Meta
$1,500 in cash
2 winners

Best Use of AI in a Mixed Reality App on Meta Quest - Sponsored by Meta
$1,500 in cash
1 winner

Best Implementation of Hand Tracking on Meta Quest - Sponsored by Meta
$1,500 in cash
1 winner

Best XR Experience - Sponsored by Qualcomm
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best AR Utility - Sponsored by Qualcomm
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Use of Arduino App Lab for Hardware Hack - Sponsored by Qualcomm
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Use of Edge AI for Hardware Hack - Sponsored by Qualcomm
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Android XR App with Gemini Live API - Sponsored by Google DeepMind and Android XR
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Use of Spatial AI - Sponsored by Snap Spectacles
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Use of Snap Cloud - Sponsored by Snap Spectacles
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Use of Hardware Integration with Spectacles - Sponsored by Snap Spectacles
1 winner

To be confirmed.

DeoVR Immersive Media Lab: From Capture to Experience - Sponsored by DeoVR
1 winner

To be confirmed.

EcoDreaming: XR for Collective Futures - Sponsored by Agog
2 winners

To be confirmed.

Best Use of STYLY Prize - Sponsored by STYLY
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best Use of STYLY Honorable Mention - Sponsored by STYLY
2 winners

Recognition

Best App for Raven Glasses Prize - Sponsored by Raven Resonance
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best App for Raven Glasses Runner-up - Sponsored by Raven Resonance
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Best App for Raven Glasses Honorable Mention - Sponsored by Raven Resonance
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Location-based Storytelling for Creators of All Levels - Sponsored by Lureo
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Standing on the Shoulders of Sustainability Prize - Sponsored by Philipp Neuhaus
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Standing on the Shoulders of Sustainability Honorable Mention - Sponsored by Philipp Neuhaus
1 winner

Recognition.

Best Use of AR for Urban Portals and Spatial Overlays - Sponsored by Alessio Grancini
1 winner

To be confirmed.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

A Panel of Hand Selected Judges

A Panel of Hand Selected Judges

Judging Criteria

  • Track Dependent

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Tell your friends

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