Overview

Welcome to CrimsonCode 2026—Washington State University’s premier 24-hour hackathon! Hosted by the WSU ACM, CrimsonCode brings together the brightest minds from across the Pacific Northwest to build, break, and innovate.

Whether you’re a first-time coder or a seasoned developer, this is your chance to turn a "what if" into a working prototype. You’ll have 24 hours to collaborate with a team, learn from industry mentors, and compete for a massive prize pool.

 

What Makes CrimsonCode Special?

  • The Spark Experience: Located in WSU’s state-of-the-art Spark building, you’ll have access to top-tier tech, ergonomic workspaces, and plenty of "hacking fuel" (food!) throughout the night.

  • A "Cougs Help Cougs" Environment: We pride ourselves on being a collaborative event. With workshops, mentors from top tech companies, and a dedicated team of organizers, you’re never hacking alone.

  • In-Person Only: We believe the best ideas happen in person. CrimsonCode is a strictly physical event, fostering real connections and late-night brainstorming sessions you just can't get behind a screen.

 

Rules & Requirements

  • Team Size: 1–4 members.

  • Fresh Code: All code must be written during the 24-hour period. Using pre-existing templates or libraries is fine, but the core project must be new.

  • Participation: You must be physically present at The Spark to be eligible for prizes.

     

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

7 non-cash prizes
Foundational Track Winners
3 winners

Assortment of prizes ranging from $25 - $200. Only opt into one of the two tracks depending on your team's assigned track!

Advanced Course Track Winners
3 winners

Assortment of prizes ranging from $25 - $200. Only opt into one of the two tracks depending on your team's assigned track!

[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?

[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
1 winner

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!

[MLH] Best Use of Solana
1 winner

Ledger Nano S Plus
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.
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!

[MLH] Best Use of Presage
1 winner

Fitbit Inspire & Presage Perks
Presage is pioneering the Human Sensing Layer, enabling any application to understand a person’s real-time physical and emotional state. With Presage, you can leverage clinically-proven vital signs, movement, emotion, and/or focus tracking to build a project that gives the standard camera super powers.

Use any of the Presage SDKs to integrate capabilities like real-time heart rate, breathing rate, engagement levels, and facial expressions into your hack with just a few lines of code.
Immersive Gaming & Entertainment: Dynamically change game difficulty or story elements based on a player's excitement or focus levels.
Contactless Wellness & Fitness: Build a non-invasive app that monitors stress, recovery, or fitness performance.
Accessibility & Security: Utilize vital signs for effortless authentication, or to enhance accessibility.
Productivity: Design a tool that tracks focus or stress.
Build your next hack with Presage and show us the future of human-computer interaction! Win awesome prizes along for with the following perks from the Presage team:
Free refills for Presage Development credits to accelerate you through your next three months of building
30% off all Presage usage charges for your first year after going live

[MLH] Best Use of Snowflake API
1 winner

M5Stack Tab5
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.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Zhuohan Li

Zhuohan Li
Amazon

Ashok Prakash

Ashok Prakash
Apple

Ayush Singh

Ayush Singh
Meta

Sadjyot Gangolli

Sadjyot Gangolli
AWS

Pratik Palnitkar

Pratik Palnitkar
Whatnot

Peter Wang

Peter Wang
SEL

Manushi Sheth

Manushi Sheth
Sonos

Sarthak Shah

Sarthak Shah
Amazon

Smit Shah

Smit Shah
Microsoft

Martin Hundrup

Martin Hundrup
SEL

Nathan Brown

Nathan Brown
SEL

Venera Arnaoudova

Venera Arnaoudova
WSU EECS Faculty

Krishu Thapa

Krishu Thapa

Azza Fadhel

Azza Fadhel

Thomas Gilray

Thomas Gilray
WSU EECS Faculty

Logan Finley

Logan Finley
SEL

Tazin Rahman

Tazin Rahman

Mitch Greer

Mitch Greer

Judging Criteria

  • Technical Complexity
  • "Wow" Factor
  • Usefulness
  • Originality & Creativity
  • Adherence to Theme

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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Hackathon sponsors

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