Hack For Her is a virtual, girls only hackathon designed to create an inclusive and supportive space for young women to explore technology. Taking place from February 9 to February 15, the event brings together students from across the Bay Area to learn new skills, collaborate on innovative projects, and gain confidence in technical problem solving.

The idea for Hack For Her emerged from our experience helping run large student technology events and observing participation patterns firsthand. While these events were successful overall, one recurring issue stood out: many girls felt less comfortable participating in traditionally male dominated tech spaces. This revealed a deeper challenge not of interest or ability, but of access and environment. Hack For Her was created to address that gap.

By removing common barriers such as intimidation and fear of judgment, Hack For Her emphasizes collaboration, mentorship, and learning over competition alone. Participants have a full week to design and build projects, attend optional workshops, and receive guidance from mentors. The event concludes with judging and an awards ceremony that recognizes creativity, technical execution, and impact.

Hack For Her is not just a hackathon. It is a community built to encourage young women to see themselves as innovators, engineers, and leaders in technology.

Event Schedule

February 9-13
Hacking period
Participants form teams, attend optional workshops, and build their projects throughout the week.

February 14
Judging
Projects are reviewed by judges based on creativity, technical execution, and impact.

February 15
Awards ceremony
Winners are announced and top projects are recognized.

Requirements

Submission Requirements

To be eligible for judging, all teams must submit their project on Devpost by the submission deadline. Each submission should include the following:

  • A completed Devpost project page with a clear project title and description

  • A brief explanation of the problem being addressed and why it matters

  • A description of the solution, including how the project works and what technologies were used

  • A demo, which may be a video, live link, or screenshots that show the project in action

  • Any relevant source code or repository links

  • A short summary of challenges faced and what was learned during the process

Projects may be built using any programming language, framework, or platform. Teams are encouraged to focus on creativity, usability, and impact rather than project size or complexity.

All work must be completed during the hacking period and should represent the original work of the team.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$50+ in prizes
+ other prizes
Amazon Gift Card
$50 in cash
1 winner

50 dollar Amazon gift card.

Mentorship @ Stemspiration
1 winner

Winners will receive a six month virtual mentorship with members of the Stemspiration community. The mentorship will provide guidance on STEM exploration, project development, and skill building, with flexible scheduling to accommodate time zones.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Gunjan Verma

Gunjan Verma
Revenue Analyst @IBM

Safoura Seddighin

Safoura Seddighin
Academic Mentor @ National Girls Collaborative

Dr Blessing Airhihen

Dr Blessing Airhihen
Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology and Inclusive STEM Educator

Grishma Jena

Grishma Jena
Data Science & AI @ IBM

Praneetha Kotla

Praneetha Kotla
Lead Robotic Process Automation Developer

Judging Criteria

  • Creativity and Originality
    How unique is the project idea? Does it offer a thoughtful or innovative approach to a real world problem?
  • Technical Implementation
    How effectively does the project use technology? Consider complexity, learning effort, and appropriate use of tools.
  • Functionality
    Does the project work as described? Are the core features implemented and reasonably reliable?
  • Usability and Design
    How intuitive and user friendly is the project? Is the design clear, accessible, and easy to navigate?
  • Theme Relevance
    How well does the project align with the mission of Hack For Her, including empowerment, inclusion, or positive impact?
  • Presentation and Communication
    How clearly did the team explain their project? Did they effectively communicate purpose, value, and learning?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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