HackUMass XIV is a 36-hour event where students bring their craziest ideas to life.
Requirements
Click on 'Start Project' or go to 'My Projects' and click on 'Create project' to get started.
Choose your relevant prize categories on Devpost. You may choose ONLY ONE category with the [HACKUMASS] tag. All projects will be automatically considered for Grand Prizes.
Sponsor prizes must also be opted-in, but these prizes will not count towards your limit.
All prizes without the [HACKUMASS] tag are sponsor prizes.
Prizes
[HACKUMASS] Grand Prize
Curved 32'' Gaming Monitor!
[HACKUMASS] Second Prize
Beats Studio Pro!
[HACKUMASS] Thrid Prize
FPV Drone!
[HACKUMASS] [SOFTWARE] Best Software Hack
Alexa Echo Dot!
[HACKUMASS] [SOFTWARE] Best UI/UX
Game Boy Lego Kit!
[HACKUMASS] [SOFTWARE] Best Begineer Hack
Desk lamp!
[HACKUMASS] [MEDTECH] Best MedTech Hack
Fitbit Air Fitness Tracker!
[HACKUMASS] [AI] Most Impactful AI Hack
Marshall Emberton 2
[HACKUMASS] [AI] Best Begineer AI Hack
Ergonomic Mouse!
[HACKUMASS] [HARDWARE] Best Hardware Hack
Arduino Uno!
[HACKUMASS] [HARDWARE] Best Begineer Hardware
Laptop Stand!
[HACKUMASS] [HARDWARE] Best Mechanical Hack
Mechanical Keyboard!
[HACKUMASS] [ENTREPRENEURSHIP] Best Pitch
Movie Projector!
[HACKUMASS] [CYBERSECURITY] Most Secure Hack
MagSafe Power Bank!
[HACKUMASS] [CYBERSECURITY] Best AI Security Hack
Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Stand!
[HACKUMASS] Best Accessibility Hack
Life 360 Tiles!
[HACKUMASS] Best UMass Hack
$25 UMass Store Gift card!
[MLH] Build With SpaceXSI
Mechanical Keyboard!
Your hackathon A-team just got two new members. Build your hackathon project with Cursor and Grok Bot this weekend to qualify for the SpaceXSI raffle. Every member on the winning team walks away with a custom-branded Cursor mechanical keyboard.
Here’s how you qualify:
- Use Cursor as your core AI coding agent
- Integrate a Grok Bot automation into your workflow
- In your project description, describe how you use both Cursor and Grok Bot.
- Submit your project and be sure to opt-in to the Make it Legendary with SpaceXSI raffle.
Resources: https://www.mlh.com/partners/spacexsi
[MLH] Best USe of Gemini API
MLH 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?
Resources: https://www.mlh.com/partners/gemini
[MLH] Best Use of Solana
Unruggable Hardware Wallets!
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 Unruggable Hardware Wallets for you and each member of your team!
Resources: https://www.mlh.com/partners/solana
[MLH] Best Use of Tiger Data
Stream Deck Mini!
Building high-performance apps under hackathon deadlines shouldn't mean spending half your weekend configuring complex databases or learning obscure query languages. Tiger Data extends PostgreSQL to give student developers an ultra-fast foundation for real-time data, time-series metrics, and complex analytics.
Why build with Tiger Data this weekend?
- Standard SQL Power: Query massive datasets instantly using the SQL you already know, with no complex NoSQL aggregation pipelines required.
- Unified Data Stack: Store relational user profiles and high-frequency metric streams side-by-side in a single database.
- Instant Dashboards: Serve lag-free, real-time frontend charts using pre-computed Continuous Aggregates.
- 90%+ Data Compression: Store millions of events on free-tier cloud instances without running out of disk space.
Whether you’re building real-time IoT monitoring, AI-driven analytics dashboards, or financial prediction engines, show us how Tiger Data powers your project. The team that demonstrates the most innovative, impactful, and performance-driven use of Tiger Data will take home some great prizes!
Resources: https://www.mlh.com/partners/tigerdata
[MLH] Best Use of Vultr
Assorted Prizes!
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 prizes for you and your team!
Resources: https://www.mlh.com/partners/vultr
[MLH] DEV Writing Challenge
$100
Give your project another chance to shine!
Your hackathon may end after the weekend, but your project story is just getting started. Publish what you built on DEV and help other developers learn from your process.
Each month, the DEV editorial team will select at least one favorite project. Additional projects may be selected depending on submission volume.
Selections consider technical substance, originality, clear storytelling, and community popularity. Great work deserves an audience, so make your post useful, memorable, and easy to share.
Resources: https://dev.to/mlh-hackathon
Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
M5Stack IoT Kit!
MongoDB Atlas takes the leading modern database and makes it accessible in the cloud! Get started with a $50 credit for students or sign up for the Atlas free forever tier (no credit card required). Along with a suite of services and functionalities, you’ll have everything you need to manage all of your data, and you can get a headstart with free resources from MongoDB University! Build a hack using MongoDB Atlas for a chance to win a M5Stack IoT Kit for you and each member of your group.
Resources: https://www.mlh.com/partners/mongodb
[MLH] Best Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry
Digital Gift Card
GoDaddy Registry is giving you everything you need to be the best hacker no matter where you are. Register your domain name with GoDaddy Registry for a chance to win some amazing prizes!
Resources: https://www.tech.study/
Judges
Matthew Rattigan
Professor
Cole Reilly
Judging Criteria
-
Innovation
This category evaluates how original and creative your project is, whether it introduces a new concept or takes an existing idea in a fresh, out-of-the-box direction with an innovative solution. -
Functionality
This category checks if your project works as intended, meets its goal, has a clear design, readable code, smooth interaction, and runs reliably without major bugs or errors. -
Practicality
This category measures how practical and realistic your project is i.e how well it could work in the real world, whether its required resources are reasonable for the impact it offers, and how easily it can scale. -
Presentation
This category evaluates how effectively your team presents the project, i.e how clearly you communicate your ideas and goals, demonstrate teamwork, and showcase your project’s purpose and overall presentation quality.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager