ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

Hack_NCState is North Carolina State University's premier tech hackathon. This year, we are setting the scene with an Urban Noir theme. Think of it as a detective story, but instead of looking for clues, you are using technology to solve real-world problems.

Whether you are a seasoned developer or a complete beginner, join us for this exciting 24-hour competition where you will collaborate in teams of 2–4 to build projects from scratch. Participants will also have access to hands-on workshops, receive critical feedback from industry mentors, and network with a vibrant community of builders at NC State. Best of all, admission is open to all university students and is 100% free, complete with complimentary meals, t-shirts, and swag to keep you fueled.

Our hackathon operates in EST. All projects that are submitted through DevPost before the 11 AM deadline on February 15, 2026 and are eligible for tech prizes. All submitting teams will be eligible for corporate challenge prizes as determined by our sponsors.

February 14, 2026

9 AM Check In @ Outside State Ballroom/Talley Student Union
10 AM Opening Ceremony @ State Ballroom/Talley Student Union

February 15, 2026

11 AM Project Submission Deadline
4 PM Closing Ceremony @ State Ballroom/Talley Student Union

GET STARTED

Coding starts on February 14 (Saturday) at 11 AM EDT, at our kick-off event in State Ballroom/Talley Student Union. We will be hosting workshops, tech talks, and other activities throughout the event for participants to enjoy. All projects must be submitted online before February 15 (Sunday) at 11 AM EDT, but you can edit anything after submitting (before the deadline), so we encourage you to submit your products early and often.

During the event, participants will have access to https://today.hackncstate.org/ <TBA>.

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Visit https://hackncstate.org/ for more information!

 

Requirements

What to Build

Check our track descriptions see what interests you, then build a project that fits the track for the chance to win one of our prizes!

What to Submit

Refer to the information on https://today.hackncstate.org/ during the event for more information.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

21 non-cash prizes
The Agency First Place
1 winner

Keebio Keyboards + MLH Winner Pins

The Agency Second Place
1 winner

Elgato Stream Deck Mini

The Agency Third Place
1 winner

Logitech Wireless Gaming Mice

The Big Score First Place
1 winner

Raspberry Pi5 Starter Kits + MLH Winner Pins

The Big Score Second Place
1 winner

Yubikey 5C

The Big Score Third Place
1 winner

Retro Alarm Clocks

Siren's Call First Place
1 winner

Acer Gaming Monitors + MLH Winner Pins

Siren's Call Second Place
1 winner

Microcontroller Dev Kits

Siren's Call Third Place
1 winner

USB Desk Microphones

AWS Track First Place
1 winner

$2500 AWS Credit

Backboard API Challenge
1 winner

Sony Wireless Headphones

Valkey API Challenge
1 winner

Anker Power Station

TwelveLabs API Challenge
1 winner

Mini Portable Projector

[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 Presage
1 winner

[SenseCAP Watcher + 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.

Imagine the possibilities!

Immersive Gaming & Entertainment: Dynamically change game difficulty, music, or story elements based on a player's real-time excitement or focus levels.

Contactless Wellness & Fitness: Build a non-invasive app that monitors stress, recovery, or fitness performance without requiring a specialized wearable device.

Accessibility & Security: Utilize vital signs for advanced, effortless authentication, or to enhance accessibility for specific user groups.

Productivity: Design a tool that tracks focus or stress in real-time, providing feedback or environmental adjustments to optimize remote work or study sessions.

Build your next hack with Presage and show us the future of human-computer interaction! Best Use of Presage winners will receive SenseCAP Watchers for each team member, along 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 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 Vultr
1 winner

[Portable Screens] 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!

[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 .Tech
1 winner

[Desktop Microphone + a Free .Tech Domain Name for up to 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 Desktop Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!

AWS Track Second Place
1 winner

$1500 AWS Credit

AWS Track Third Place
1 winner

$1000 AWS Credit

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Deepjyoti Rajkhowa

Deepjyoti Rajkhowa

Dilip Tammana

Dilip Tammana

Navin Suvarna

Navin Suvarna

Saurabh Sharma

Saurabh Sharma

Dhrumil Prajapati

Dhrumil Prajapati

Ankit Khanna

Ankit Khanna

Vikas Vashisht

Vikas Vashisht

Taeesh Azal Assadi

Taeesh Azal Assadi

Venkata Jayanth Duppalapudi

Venkata Jayanth Duppalapudi

Rajarshee Dhar

Rajarshee Dhar

Jonathan Murray

Jonathan Murray

Reetam Biswas

Reetam Biswas

Rafiuddin Syed

Rafiuddin Syed

Kapil Sharma

Kapil Sharma

Sree Ram Kumbham

Sree Ram Kumbham

Jasdeep Bhalla

Jasdeep Bhalla

Shawn Xie

Shawn Xie

Rajesh Malviya

Rajesh Malviya

Pathik Sharma

Pathik Sharma

Manushi Sheth

Manushi Sheth

James Le

James Le

Judging Criteria

  • Problem Statement & Relevance
    Does this team truly understand the problem they’re tackling? Have they spent time framing the challenge, digging into user pain points, or identifying why their solution matters?
  • Innovation & Creativity
    Even if the solution isn’t fully polished or the codebase has duct tape all over it, a unique perspective or fresh angle still shines through.
  • Technical Implementation
    Did the team just prepare a Figma prototype, or did they actually code and deploy something that works? I don’t expect production-ready apps in 36 hours, but I do value working demos that prove the concept.
  • Feasibility & Scalability
    Could this realistically scale if given more time and resources? Hackathons aren’t about business models, but a team that thinks ahead shows maturity.
  • Teamwork & Presentation
    Did they divide tasks smartly? Did they tell a coherent story in their demo? Sometimes the pitch sells the idea as much as the code itself.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Tell your friends

Hackathon sponsors

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