CodeRED ASTRA is a free hackathon hosted at the University of Houston on October 18-19. The event takes place in the Houston Room of the Student Center South. Participants can form teams, ask mentors for help, and receive important updates through the official Discord server.

What makes this hackathon special is its wide array of activities and abundant resources for attendees. The event is completely free and provides participants with two lunches, a dinner, a breakfast, and snacks and drinks. Hackers can "level up their skills" by attending workshops on topics like Google AI, Github Copilot, Figma, and Large Language Models (LLMs). For relaxation, there are side events such as the MLH Bob Ross Social and a typing contest. There are multiple prize tracks sponsored by companies like ConocoPhillips and Mathpix, with prizes including an iPad 10th Gen, a Nintendo Switch Lite, Sennheiser headphones, and cash prizes up to $600 per team.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

8 non-cash prizes
Track 1: General Track
3 winners

1st Place - Sennheiser HD 505 Headphones, MLH Winner Pins
2nd Place - ASUS TUF Gaming Monitor
3rd Place - JBL Speaker

If you wish to freestyle your project and not associate it with any of our company sponsored tracks, you may submit it under our General Track.

*Please note that you project can only be submitted to one of the 3 tracks!*

Track 2: ConocoPhillips Track
3 winners

1st Place - iPad 10th Gen, MLH Winner Pins
2nd Place - Nintendo Switch Lite
3rd Place - $50 Amazon Gift Card

Build an AI-powered solution that addresses a real-world problem in sustainability, or Climate Change

*Please note that you project can only be submitted to one of the 3 tracks!*

Track 3: Mathpix Track
3 winners

1st Place - $600, MLH Winner Pins
2nd Place - $300
3rd Place - $100

Using Mathpix's STEM-focused OCR API, build something focused on accessibility in education.

There will be 4 categories from which candidates will be judged.
* Accessibility Impact
* Technical Impact
* Usability
* Scalability

*Please note that you project can only be submitted to one of the 3 tracks!*

[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?

Links:
* https://mlh.link/gemini-quickstart

[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
1 winner

ElevenLabs Airpods 4

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!

Links:
* https://mlh.link/elevenlabs

[MLH] Best Use of AI powered by Reach Capital
1 winner

Logitech Webcam & Meeting with the Reach Capital Investors

AI has upended what we can accomplish with technology. Reach Capital invests in the next generation of founders and technical talent, and they want you to use AI to transform the future of learning, health, and work. Build a project that impacts one (or all!) of these areas for a chance to win a Logitech webcam for each member of your team and the exclusive opportunity to discuss your creation with Reach Capital's team of expert investors.
Interested in working at world-changing startups? Reach's 130+ portfolio companies — including Replit, Brilliant, ClassDojo, GPTZero, and Desmos — are always looking for the next wave of talent. Share what you're studying, building, or exploring, and Reach will connect you to career-defining opportunities. Add your profile and join the hackers already in the Reach talent network.

Links:
* https://mlh.link/reach-capital
* https://mlh.link/reach-talent

[MLH] Best Use of Arm
1 winner

Handheld Game Console

Building with ARM allows you to create highly efficient, performant, and scalable applications & software! From IoT and Smart Devices, to AI and Machine Learning, ARM's high performance computing and extreme energy efficiency will power whatever hackathon project you're creating into the next level.
With hundreds of sample projects and tutorials, you'll find everything you need to get started and then some, at ARM's developer hub. With ARM powering the vast majority of the world's smartphones, tablets, laptops, servers, and IoT devices, now is your chance to get hands on with the most popular processor architecture around!
Assemble your team and build your hack using one of Arm's learning paths today for a chance to win some awesome prizes!

Links:
* https://mlh.link/arm

[MLH] Best Use of DigitalOcean Gradient AI
1 winner

Retro Wireless Mouse

DigitalOcean Gradient™ 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 Gradient™ AI for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your team mates!

Links:
* https://mlh.link/digitalocean-signup
* http://mlh.link/digitalocean

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Sai Bharani Veerepalli

Sai Bharani Veerepalli
CougarCS

Sterling Gore

Sterling Gore
CougarCS

Adrian Aremta

Adrian Aremta
CougarCS

Omoyeni Kuku

Omoyeni Kuku
CougarCS

Dylan Berners

Dylan Berners
CougarCS

Rong Lu

Rong Lu
CougarCS

Judging Criteria

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Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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