HackPSU is Penn State's student-run hackathon and the largest technology event at Penn State. Join us and hundreds of other students from across the world for 24 hours of innovation, creation, and fun! From seasoned coding veterans to first-time hackers in any major or field, students of all skill levels will find technologically engaging challenges, professional networking, educational resources, and plenty of entertainment throughout our event!
At HackPSU, participants can discover their ability to create change by developing technology to solve real-world problems through collaboration with your peers and industry professionals. They gain new technical skills by attending workshops and taking on challenges. Our games and performances scheduled throughout the event give participants an opportunity to take a break and will be sure to keep them entertained. The whole event is a great way to meet new peers, network with our sponsor companies, and have a total blast!
Requirements
All projects must be submitted by 12:00PM (noon) on Sunday, October 25th. Participants will have until the end of hacking time at 1:45PM on Sunday to continue editing their submissions, but they must be in place by noon to allow time to assign tables at the judging exposition.
All code written for your submission must be attached to this submission (preferably by linking to a public GitHub repository).
All team members must be listed on the submission so that prizes can be awarded accordingly.
To be eligible for prizes, at least one team member must present your project at the judging exposition, but the expo is not the only criterion for judging. The quality of the Devpost submission also plays a large part in our judges' deliberation, so make sure not to neglect it!
Each team is only allowed to submit 1 project.
Projects can be disqualified at the organizers' discretion. Reasons might include but are not limited to breaking the rules, breaking the Code of Conduct, or other unsporting behavior.
Prizes
HackPSU Grand Prizes
The standard HackPSU experience: work alone or in a team to build something awesome. All monetary prizes will be split among the winning team members equally.
1st Place: $500 cash (1 winner)
2nd Place: $300 cash (1 winner)
3rd Place: $200 cash (1 winner)
Each winner will also receive a copy of Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview
Best UX/UI Design
Create a project where the user interface is accessible, functional, and intuitive.
Information can be perceived in multiple ways, such as adjustable color contrast, font size, or captions.
Navigation is operable and user-friendly.
Content is understandable and robust across devices and assistive technologies.
Prize: Peraton swag bag and Beats Headphones for each team member
Nittany AI Challenege
Use the power of AI to address real-world problems in: Health, Humanitarianism, Education, Environment, and Agriculture.
1st Place
$99 Amazon Gift Card per team member (up to 5)
2nd Place
$50 Amazon Gift Card per team member (up to 5)
3rd Place
$25 Amazon Gift Card per team member (up to 5)
MLH || Best .Tech Domain Name || 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 Blue Snowball Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!
MLH || Best Use of Gemini API || 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 || AirPods
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 exclusive ElevenLabs branded airpods!
MLH || Best Use of Snowflake API || 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.
MLH || Best Use of Gemini 2.5 Computer Use || 3D Printing Pen
The Gemini 2.5 Computer Use model is a specialized model built on Gemini 2.5 Pro's capabilities that powers AI agents capable of interacting directly with user interfaces (UIs).
Essentially, it enables AI agents to perform complex digital tasks by navigating web pages and applications just as a human would, by clicking, typing, and scrolling.
Use Gemini 2.5 Computer Use in your project this weekend for a chance to win some 3D printing pens for you and your teammates!
MLH || Best Use of DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI || Retro Wireless Mouse
DigitalOcean GradientTM AI is a unified AI cloud for building, training, and deploying machine learning models and AI agents. Get access to GPU infrastructure like DigitalOcean GPU Droplets and Bare Metal servers, along with serverless inference and 1-Click Models for instant deployment of your favorite LLMs!
Sign up for DigitalOcean today and get $200 worth of free credits that you can use towards building your next Gradient-powered hack. Enable your next project with DigitalOcean GradientTM AI for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your team mates!
MLH || Best Use of Vultr || Portable Screen
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!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
HackPSU Organizers
HackPSU
Judging Criteria
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Implementation
Is the project functional and easy to operate for the target demographic? Is the solution viable and effective in addressing the problem statement? Does it reflect the quality of the outcome? -
Clarity
Did the team convey their ideas in a way that is understandable to the audience? Is their problem and proposed solution well-stated? How effectively does the team demonstrate the capabilities of their solution? -
Creativity
Does the project introduce new ideas? Does it go beyond being an API wrapper? Is the project novel and original? Does it approach a problem from an unusual or different perspective? -
Growth
Did the team learn something new? Did they use unfamiliar software or dive into an unfamiliar subject area? Does the team demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter gained during the hackathon? -
Impact
What evidence or research supports the existence of the problem being addressed by the project? How does the solution offer a viable, ambitious answer to the identified problem?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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