Consider yourself creative? Entrepreneurial? The Traver Creative Technologist prize track seeks innovative software and technology projects that solve problems faced in the creative industries. RIT MAGIC Spell Studios will directly award the winning RIT dev or team of RIT students $1,000 and access to RIT’s Traver Creative Technologist Program.

Benefits include:
• Up to 15K stipend funding during 2-semester residency with MAGIC to bring your project to market
• Mentorship & Coaching
• Residency in MAGIC can qualify for summer and/or fall ‘25 co-op for your team

Eligible winners must be RIT students with at least 2 upcoming school semesters remaining in which they can participate in the Traver Program.

Awarded projects will emphasize technology development for creative industries. You are strongly encouraged to invite artists to join your team! Find more at https://www.rit.edu/magic/make-publish

Have you ever wanted to make pancake art with a 3d printer, write your own mod support for a game, turn your Roomba into a drink delivery service?

We would love to see you explore what’s possible by manipulating a piece of hardware or software in an unintended and interesting way. How can you create something new from something that already exists?

We’ll be bringing four Flipper Zeros for the team who is best able to turn lemons into execution!

Give us your best project! Each member of the winning team will win a $200 Amazon Gift Card

Have a cool game idea? This track is for you! Each member of the winning team will receive a Zumier Pro Gaming Headset AND a RedDragon RGB Gaming Mouse.

Does your project utilize AI in an exciting way? Check out this track! Each member of the winning team will receive a 4-month subscription to ChatGPT+.

Give us your best project focused around sustainability! Each member of the winning team will receive a Solar-powered Bluetooth Speaker.

If you think your project has a high-quality user interface and user experience, enter this track! Each member of the winning team will receive a Wacom Drawing Tablet.

Give us your best project created by one hacker! The winner will receive a Blue Yeti Microphone.

If your team is made up of at least 50% first-year undergraduate students, you’re eligible to enter this track!

Note: For this prize, first-year students are defined as those in their first year of undergraduate study. Master's or graduate students do not count toward the 50% requirement for eligibility.

Each member of the winning team will receive a Grove Arduino Beginner Kit.

M5GO IoT Starter Kit

MongoDB Atlas takes the leading modern database and makes it accessible in the cloud! Get started with a $50 credit for students (https://mlh.link/mongodb) or sign up for the Atlas free forever tier, no credit card required (https://mlh.link/mongodb-free). 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 (https://mlh.link/mongodb-university)! Build a hack using MongoDB Atlas for a chance to win a M5GO IoT Starter Kit for you and each member of your team.

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? 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 (https://mlh.link/auth0-signup) and use any of the Auth0 APIs (https://mlh.link/auth0-docs) for a chance to win a pair of wireless headphones for you and each member of your team!

Blue Snowball Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for Life!

Make your Team's Achievements timeless: Win a .Tech Domain Name for Life to Showcase and Expand Your Project, Plus 4 Blue Snowball Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together

Assorted Prizes
Generative AI is rapidly changing the landscape of software development. This category challenges you to build novel applications that leverage the power of Generative AI APIs. Think outside the box and integrate cutting-edge AI models to create innovative solutions with real-world impact.

To participate, utilize publicly available Generative AI APIs (like those from OpenAI, Anthropic, Hugging Face, Llama, IBM Watson, or Google Gemini) to develop a unique and functional application. This could include:
AI-powered creative tools: Design an app that allows users to generate unique marketing copy, translate languages in real-time, or create personalized learning experiences.
Intelligent assistants and automation: Build a chatbot that can provide insightful customer support, or a system that automates complex tasks using natural language processing.
Next-generation content creation platforms: Develop a platform that empowers users to generate high-quality images, write different kinds of creative text formats, or compose original music with AI assistance.
This is your chance to get hands on with cutting edge tech, put your skills on display, and of course, win some awesome prizes!