We are HackUMass, a 36-hour event where students bring their craziest ideas to life.

Requirements

Click on 'Start Project' or go to 'My Projects' and click on 'Create project' to get started.

Choose your relevant prize categories on Devpost. You may choose ONLY ONE category with the [HACKUMASS] tag. All projects will be automatically considered for Grand Prizes.

Sponsor prizes must also be opted-in, but these prizes will not count towards your limit.

All prizes without the [HACKUMASS] tag are sponsor prizes.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

27 non-cash prizes
Grand Prize
1 winner

Airpods Pro 3 and MLH Winner Pins!

Second Prize
1 winner

Marshall Emberton II and MLH Winner Pins!

Third Prize
1 winner

GoPro Hero11 Mini and MLH Winner Pins!

[HACKUMASS] [Software] Best Software Hack
1 winner

Echo Show 5

[HACKUMASS] [Software] Best Beginner Software
1 winner

Instax Mini 9

[HACKUMASS] [Software] Best Web Hack
1 winner

Fire TV Stick

[HACKUMASS] [Software] Best Mobile Hack
1 winner

Anker Magnetic Phone charging station

[HACKUMASS] [Hardware] Best Hardware Hack
1 winner

Creality Ender 3

[HACKUMASS] [Hardware] Best Beginner Hardware
1 winner

CICS Makerspace Raspberry Pi 5

[HACKUMASS] [Hardware] Best Circuit Hack
1 winner

PINECIL – Smart Mini Portable Soldering Iron

[HACKUMASS] [Hardware] Best Mechanical Hack
1 winner

Electric screwdriver

[HACKUMASS] [Ethical AI] Most Impactful AI Hack
1 winner

Come up with/create a customized Agent that would benefit the campus community in some way (faculty, staff, or students), and for a bonus, provide usability feedback and improvements.

TCL 40-Inch TV

[HACKUMASS] [Ethical AI] Best Beginner AI Hack
1 winner

Amazon smart plug

[HACKUMASS] [Ethical AI] Best Theory and Plan
1 winner

20$ Visa Gift Card

[HACKUMASS] [Ethical AI] Most Novel Use of AI
1 winner

Amazon Echo Pop, Amazon's smallest Alexa speaker

[HACKUMASS] [Cybersecurity] Most Impactful Cybersecurity Hack
1 winner

Magcubic Mini Portable Projector

[HACKUMASS] [Cybersecurity] Best Beginner Cybersecurity Hack
1 winner

Power bank

[HACKUMASS] [Cybersecurity] Best Data Protection
1 winner

SanDisk 256GB Flash Drive

[HACKUMASS] [PIT] Best Sustainability Hack
1 winner

Anker Portable Charger

[HACKUMASS] [PIT] Best Accessibility Hack
1 winner

Vertical ergonomic mouse

[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
1 winner

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?

- 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?

Resource: https://mlh.link/gemini-quickstart

[MLH] Best Use of Solana
1 winner

SenseCAP Card Tracker

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.

- Create a game, social app, or consumer product that relies on instant, high-frequency transactions
- Design a sophisticated trading, lending, or decentralized exchange (DEX)
- Build a prototype for supply chain, identity, or payments that can handle massive, real-world volume

Show us how you can innovate with Solana for a chance to win some cool prizes for you and each member of your team!

Resource: https://mlh.link/solana

[MLH] Best Use of Vultr
1 winner

Portable Monitors

Vultr empowers hackers to bring their high-performance projects to life instantly; providing everything from the speed of one-click deployment and scalable cloud compute, to specialized Vultr Cloud GPUs that can power AI-driven applications. We want you to push the limits of what can be built when infrastructure is no longer the bottleneck!

Sign up for a Vultr account today and claim your free cloud credits! Take your next hack to the cloud with Vultr for a chance to win some awesome portable screens for you and your team!

Resource: https://mlh.link/vultr

[MLH] Best Use of Snowflake API
1 winner

Arduino Tiny ML Kit

Play with industry-leading LLMs on a single account using the Snowflake APIs. Adding AI capabilities into your application can be as simple as a single CURL command to Snowflake's REST API.

Build customized applications, RAG powered chat bots, or embed AI-powered features into your app in half the time with half the hassle. Get started for free with a special, student 120-day Snowflake trial and check out this repository for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.

Resource: https://mlh.link/snowflake

[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
1 winner

Beats Wireless Earbuds

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! Get a Promo Code via MLH Coach.

Resource: https://mlh.link/elevenlabs

[MLH] Best .Tech Domain Name
1 winner

Blue Snowball Microphone & .Tech Domain Name for 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!

Resource: https://get.tech/mlh

[MLH] Best Use of AI powered by Reach Capital
1 winner

Logitech Webcam & Meeting with the Reach Capital Investors

AI has upended what we can accomplish with technology. Reach Capital invests in the next generation of founders and technical talent, and they want you to use AI to transform the future of learning, health, and work. Build a project that impacts one (or all!) of these areas for a chance to win a Logitech webcam for each member of your team and the exclusive opportunity to discuss your creation with Reach Capital's team of expert investors.

Interested in working at world-changing startups? Reach's 130+ portfolio companies — including Replit, Brilliant, ClassDojo, GPTZero, and Desmos — are always looking for the next wave of talent. Share what you're studying, building, or exploring, and Reach will connect you to career-defining opportunities. Add your profile and join the hackers already in the Reach talent network.

Resource: https://mlh.link/reach-talent

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Adam Lechowicz

Adam Lechowicz
UMass PhD Student

Cole Reilly

Cole Reilly
UMass Faculty

Judging Criteria

  • Innovation
    This category evaluates how original and creative your project is, whether it introduces a new concept or takes an existing idea in a fresh, out-of-the-box direction with an innovative solution.
  • Functionality
    This category checks if your project works as intended, meets its goal, has a clear design, readable code, smooth interaction, and runs reliably without major bugs or errors.
  • Practicality
    This category measures how practical and realistic your project is i.e how well it could work in the real world, whether its required resources are reasonable for the impact it offers, and how easily it can scale.
  • Presentation
    This category evaluates how effectively your team presents the project, i.e how clearly you communicate your ideas and goals, demonstrate teamwork, and showcase your project’s purpose and overall presentation quality.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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