Dates

All deadlines, check-in times, and the full event schedule are listed in the official HackFRee Guide.
If you need clarification at any point, please ask a Leadership Team member in the HackFRee shirts. The official hackathon will take place on Saturday, January 17th, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM. 

 

Eligibility

This event is primarily open to students of the Freehold Regional High School District. If out of district and interested in attending, please email jkomitas@frhsd.com and ensure that participants will have an adult supervisor attending with them during the event. 

Additionally, to maintain fairness and ensure the integrity of the hackathon:

 

  • Each team may have up to four members. No exceptions.

  • You may only work with the people on your team. Collaboration between teams is not allowed.

  • All participants must be registered attendees of HackFRee and have all the required forms filled out. 

  • You must follow all school rules, safety guidelines, and instructions from event staff.

 

Project and Submission Requirements

To ensure a fair competition for all participants:

  1. Original Work Only
    • All code, designs, and materials must be created during the hackathon
    • You may NOT use code, assets, or work created before the event
    • If you are unsure about whether something counts as “pre-made,” ask a Leadership Team member
  2. No Plagiarism
    • You may reference public documentation, tutorials, or API guides, but you may not directly copy code, assets, or text from external sources.
    • Large language models or AI assistants (ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, etc.) cannot be used to generate code, designs, or written submissions.
  3. Source Code Requirement
    • If your project involves programming, you must submit your full source code
    • Hidden or private code not made available to judges is not allowed
  4. Team Conduct
    • All team members must contribute fairly
    • Sharing code or assets between teams is prohibited
    • Assisting another team with direct code or design work is not allowed
  5. Consequences for Rule Violations: If you break any rules or if judges have a valid reason to believe cheating occurred, your team may be disqualified after review.

 

Prizes

TBD

 

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Judging follows the official HackFRee rubric and will evaluate:

  • Problem Definition: clarity, relevance, and impact

  • Solution & Innovation: creativity, originality, and effectiveness

  • Functionality: reliability, progress made, and technical completeness

  • Process & Improvement: troubleshooting, iteration, and learning

  • Presentation & Interview: clarity, teamwork, and ability to answer questions

 

Decisions made by the judging panel are final. See the HackFRee Guide on hackfree.info for further information.