What is HackCMU?

HackCMU is Carnegie Mellon's premier hackathon, a 24-hour beginner-friendly challenge where creativity, code, and caffeine collide. Rally your crew and turn bold ideas into reality! Here is our official website: https://www.acmatcmu.com/hackcmu2026/

September 11th, 2026  
  1. 5:00 – 6:00 pm   Boarding Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    Check in with organizers and find your team members.

  2. 6:00 – 6:30 pm   Departure Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    Join us for the opening ceremony of HackCMU 2026!

  3. 7:00 – 9:00 pm   Dinner + Sponsor Expo Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    Meet our amazing event sponsors!

  4. 12:00 – 1:00 am   Midnight Cafe Halte Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    Fuel up with late-night snacks!

September 12th, 2026  
  1. 12:00 – 1:00 pm   Lunch Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    Grab a bite before submitting your final project.

  2. 4:00 pm   Baggage Check Google Form

    Submit your project description and track selection.

  3. 4:00 – 6:30 pm   Platform Showcase Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    Show off your amazing project to everyone!

  4. 6:30 – 7:00 pm   Dinner Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    Relax and enjoy dinner with fellow hackers.

  5. 7:00 – 8:00 pm   Arrival Tepper Simmons Auditorium

    We hope you continue to reach for the stars!

Requirements

What to Build

When you submit your project, you'll choose a track that best fits your idea, along with a short (50-word) explanation of why it belongs in that track. We will distribute prizes for each track based on the number of people who select it. For instance, if most people choose track 1, then we will have first, second, and third place prizes for that track. If only a few people choose track 2, then we will only have a first place prize for that track.

What to Submit

Projects will be judged based on: real-life usefulness, technological complexity, originality, and presentation/demo quality.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

7 non-cash prizes
Overall Winner
1 winner

We will have prizes for each tracks. In addition, we will select an overall grand prize across all projects. We will also have sponsor-specific prizes that aren't restricted to any 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 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 Auth0
1 winner

Wireless Headphones
Auth0 wants your applications to be secure! Why spend hours building features like social sign-in, Multi-Factor Authentication, and passwordless log-in when you can enable them through Auth0 straight out of the box? You can also secure your AI applications with Auth0 for AI Agents.

Auth0 is free to try, doesn’t require a credit card, and allows for up to 7,000 free active users and unlimited log-ins. Make your new account today and use any of the Auth0 APIs for a chance to win a pair of wireless headphones for you and each member of your team!

[MLH] Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
1 winner

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.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Katie Wang

Katie Wang

Judging Criteria

  • Real-life usefulness
  • Technological complexity
  • Originality
  • Presentation/demo quality

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Tell your friends

Hackathon sponsors

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