About the Challenge

Creative Lab is an 8-hour AI coding hackathon hosted at UC San Diego, in collaboration with TRAE.ai and Z.ai.

This event explores a new way of building with AI — "Vibe Coding" — where creativity, rapid prototyping, and collaboration take center stage.

Instead of focusing on complex implementation details, participants are encouraged to:

• Start with a real idea or problem  

• Use AI tools to accelerate development  

• Turn concepts into working prototypes  

Whether you're building an AI agent, a web app, or a creative tool, this is your chance to experiment and bring your ideas to life.

No prior hackathon experience is required.

What You'll Experience

In just 8 hours, you will go through a full product-building cycle:

• Product demos & technical sharing  

• Hands-on building session (3 hours)  

• Mentorship support during development  

• Final project showcase & lightning demo  

By the end of the event, your idea will become a working prototype that you can continue to build on.

Who Should Join

This event is open to all students, including:

• Beginners interested in AI and coding  

• Developers exploring AI applications  

• Students interested in startups or product building  

We especially encourage participation from students of diverse backgrounds — creativity comes from different perspectives.

Tools & Technologies

Participants are encouraged to build using modern AI tools, including:

• LLMs / AI APIs  

• AI-powered IDEs (e.g., TRAE)  

• Web technologies  

• Any open-source tools  

You are free to choose your stack.

Event Schedule (March 31, 2026)

13:30 – 14:00  

Check-in & networking  

14:00 – 14:30  

Opening & introduction  

14:30 – 15:15  

Product demo & tech sharing  

15:15 – 18:15  

Hands-on building session  

18:15 – 19:00  

Submission & break  

19:00 – 19:45  

Project presentations  

19:45 – 20:30  

Awards & closing  

20:30 – 21:15  

Networking  

Submission Requirements

To complete your submission, you must provide:

• A project demo (live or video)  

• A short description of your project  

• (Optional) GitHub repository  

Judging Criteria

Projects will be evaluated based on:

• Creativity & originality  

• Technical implementation  

• Practical impact  

• Presentation quality  

Additional awards may be announced during the event.

Location

UC San Diego  

RIMAC Triton Conference Room  

9860 Hopkins Dr, La Jolla, CA  

Final Note

This is not just a hackathon — it's a space to explore how AI is changing the way we build.

Come with an idea, curiosity, and creativity.

Leave with a working product.

• Creativity
  How original and innovative the idea is.
• Technical Implementation
  How well the project is built and how effectively AI tools are used.
• Practical Value
  How useful or impactful the project is in real-world scenarios.
• Presentation
  How clearly the idea is explained and demonstrated during the final demo.