Our overarching theme this year is Bridging the Gap between technology and global issues. Similar to how TechNova is bridging the gap for women+ in tech - we empower you to think about how you can use technology to solve issues during the hackathon.
This is a guiding theme applicable to every prize category so try your best to find an innovative idea to solve a problem you genuinely care about and let your creativity shine through!
Requirements
Project and Submission Requirements
ALL projects MUST be submitted to Devpost by 10:00AM EDT, on Sunday, September 24th.
We recommend you start submitting to Devpost before 9:00AM EDT, in case of any technical difficulties. How to submit onto Devpost! → HERE
- View the Rubric: Here & for Themed Prizes Rubric. This will help you identify how your team can be most successful!
- Each team MUST submit the following information.
- Answer all prompts on Devpost
- (optional) Any links/resources you would like to show to the Judges, such as Figma, Github Repositories, Business plan etc.
- Teams can submit for multiple prizes! Scroll down to have a look at our prize breakdown.
- Submit a Team Confirmation Form
- Any code/project started outside the hacking period starts will be not be allowed.
- Only original submissions will be accepted (eg. You can't have submitted the hack to a previous hackathon).
- You may only submit your hack to TechNova 2023, not other hackathons occurring concurrently.
Judging Criteria and Winner Selection
Judging will take place on Sunday, September 24th, 2023 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM EDT.
Prizes
Best Overall
The team that performs the best overall in both the Hack and Pitch categories. They have created a unique and innovative Hack, which encompasses the values presented by TechNova. All teams who submit a project, will be considered for this prize!
Best Overall, 1st Place ($250 Amazon gift card/person)
Best Overall, 2nd Place ($150 Amazon gift card/person)
Best Overall, 3rd Place ($100 Amazon gift card/person)
Best Beginner
The beginner team that performs the Hack category. They have created a unique and innovative Hack, which encompasses the values presented by TechNova. NOTE: 3/4 members MUST be first-time hackers.
Best Beginner Hack, 1st Place ($250 Amazon gift card/person)
Best Beginner Hack, 2nd Place ($150 Amazon gift card/person)
Best Beginner Hack, 3rd Place ($100 Amazon gift card/person)
Best Video Game Hack - Sponsored by Big Blue Bubble
Of course since we are a video game company we are sponsoring a prize related to gaming! - 4 Nintendo Switch Lites - one for each member of the winning team!
Best AI app developed with Cloudflare Workers and/or Pages - Sponsored by Cloudflare
The team with the most outstanding use of Pages in their project will win a guaranteed practice technical interview with Cloudflare and Cloudflare swag!
Best Overall Top 6 Submissions - Sponsored by Wolfram
This award is for a year of Wolfram|One Personal Edition plus a one-year subscription to Wolfram|Alpha Pro. NOTE: Wolfram tech is not required to be used in projects for our award eligibility.
Best Use of Gamification Hack by Velocity
Velocity is proud to present The Best Use of Gamification Award to Technova hackers! Prize description coming soon!
Wolfram|One Access for All Participants
Access to Wolfram|One for all your participants for thirty days. Wolfram|One includes both Desktop and Cloud access, full access to the Wolfram Language and Knowledgebase, FreeCDF Deployment, 5000 Wolfram|Alpha API calls, 5000 Cloud Credits, 2 installations per user and 2 GB of Cloud Storage.
Voiceflow Licenses for All Participants
Voiceflow is providing all hackers with team licenses!
Team Licenses are valued at $50/month per account and will be provided for all attendees at the hackathon with a coupon code to retrieve their subscription.
Best UI/UX
Recognizes a team that creates the best UI/UX project. Each team member receives $80 gift card.
Female Empowerment & Gender-Equity
Best hack aimed at creating a diverse and inclusive project. Each team member receives $80 gift card.
Sustainability
Best hack aimed at safeguarding the environment. Each team member receives $80 gift card.
Social Good
Best hack aimed at solving a global issue/challenge. Each team member receives $80 gift card.
Most Creative Use of GitHub
GitHub Octocat Puzzle & Sticker Pack
GitHub is one of the best ways to collaborate, push code, get feedback, and show the world what you’ve built during a hackathon. To take it a step further, GitHub is now offering you access to industry tools, events & learning resources through something called GitHub Global Campus. Win this weekend’s Most Creative Use of GitHub prize category, first by signing up for GitHub Global Campus and second by using a GitHub repository to host your hackathon project’s code! Make sure your use of GitHub stands out with a detailed ReadMe page, meaningful pull requests and collaboration history, and even a GitHub pages deployment!
Best Use of Hedera
Compact Mechanical Keyboard
Hedera is a next generation blockchain technology that’s accessible from familiar programming languages like Java and JavaScript. Their goal? To make Web3 development even more accessible to hackers like you! Build a project on Hedera's test network for a chance to win amazing Compact Mechanical Keyboards for you and your team!
Build a decentralized application on Hedera using our JavaScript SDK.
Build applications that never sleep using EVM compatible smart contract service.
Say goodbye to cumbersome databases and hello to seamless scalability of Hedera Consensus Service. With no need for writing your own APIs your data is securely stored and easily retrieved.
Best Use of MATLAB
MATLAB and Simulink are computational tools used at over 100,000 businesses, government and university sites in over 190 countries. Use MATLAB and/or Simulink exclusively or integrate them into another tool for your next hack to win an exclusive MathWorks branded Wireless YoYo Speaker! You can also claim a free MATLAB software license to get started.
Best Use of Soroban
Power Bank
Soroban is an open-source Rust-based developer-friendly smart contracts platform built for scalability. It is interoperable with the layer-1 Stellar blockchain and benefits from the network’s existing global reach and access. With Soroban, developers have the freedom to create applications as borderless as the internet.
Learning how to build Decentralized Applications (DAPPs) using Soroban is easy and fun. Simply follow along with the DAPPs on Soroban challenge by forking either of the Crowdfund or Payment repositories, and make the project your own with personalized customizations! The challenge link even has some simple walk-throughs available to help you get started.
Remember to customize your DAPP using Soroban this weekend for a chance to win a Power Bank for you and each of your teammates!
Best Use of Circle
Circle Branded Hardware Wallet
With Circle, you can embed secure wallets into your app in just minutes. Circle Web3 wallets are compatible with multiple blockchains and are supported by over a dozen programming language SDKs. Circle’s programmable wallets will enable you to add secure transactions to your hackathon project using RESTful APIs, with options for both user and developer controlled transactions. If your hackathon idea involves in-app purchases, user to user payments, app to user payments, or all of the above, integrating Circle programmable wallets to your Web2 or Web3 tech-stack may be the perfect solution.
Sign up for a developer account and start using Circle’s APIs today, for a chance to win a Circle Branded Hardware Wallet for you and each of your teammates!
Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
M5GO IoT Starter Kit
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 .Tech Domain Name
Blue Snowball Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for Life!
Make your Team's Achievements timeless: Win a .Tech Domain Name for Life to Showcase and Expand Your Project, Plus 4 Blue Snowball Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Ricky Robinett
Vice President of Developer Relations at Cloudflare
Luigi Tomasone
Lead Software Engineer at SPS Commerce
Judging Criteria
-
Problem
To obtain the maximum number of points in this area: The problem is well defined. The problem is well researched. -
Solution
To obtain the maximum number of points in this area: The solution is entirely unique and well-presented. It addresses the problem from a new angle or on a bigger scale. -
Technical Difficulty
To obtain the maximum number of points in this area: The project is very technically challenging. -
User Experience
To obtain the maximum number of points in this area: The project is well-designed. It shows a high level of concern for the user experience. No instructions are needed to navigate the application. -
Presentation
To obtain the maximum number of points in this area: The functionality was clearly explained. Team members presented with confidence. Good volume and clarity.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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