The Richmond Civic Hackathon will take place:

Friday, March 27, 2026 – Sunday, March 29, 2026

Key milestones:

• March 27, 2026 – Opening kickoff and team formation

• March 28, 2026 – Full day of hacking and mentorship

• March 29, 2026 – Final submissions, project demos, and awards

All project submissions must be completed and submitted through Devpost before the official submission deadline announced during the event.

The Richmond Civic Hackathon is open to individuals and teams interested in building solutions that address civic challenges facing the Richmond community.

Participants must:

• Register for the hackathon prior to the event

• Comply with the event Code of Conduct

• Be at least 18 years old, unless participating as part of an approved student program or with organizer permission

Participants may compete:

• Individually, or

• As part of a team of up to five (5) members

Employees of sponsoring organizations may participate but may not be eligible for certain prizes, at the discretion of the organizers.

Organizers, judges, and core event staff are not eligible to compete.

Projects submitted to the Richmond Civic Hackathon must:

• Be created during the hackathon timeframe

• Address one of the official challenge tracks aligned with Richmond’s civic priorities

• Include a working prototype, proof of concept, or demonstrable idea

Submissions must include the following on Devpost:

• Project title and description

• Names of team members

• Explanation of the problem being addressed

• Description of the proposed solution

• Technology stack or tools used

• A demo video showing the project (recommended length: 2–3 minutes)

Projects may include:

• Web applications

• Mobile applications

• Data tools or dashboards

• AI or machine learning tools

• Design prototypes

• Digital storytelling projects

Teams are encouraged to use open data and publicly available resources where possible.

Projects that were substantially developed before the hackathon are not eligible for prizes.

Prizes will be awarded to selected teams based on judging criteria determined by the event organizers.

Example prizes may include:

• Mayor’s Choice Award

• Track Awards for the seven challenge areas

• Community Impact Award

Prize details and amounts will be announced prior to the final judging session.

Projects may also be considered for future collaboration opportunities with community partners or city departments.

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of judges composed of civic leaders, technologists, and community partners.

Submissions will be judged based on the following criteria:

Impact
How effectively does the project address a meaningful challenge facing Richmond?

Innovation
Does the project demonstrate creativity or a novel approach to solving the problem?

Feasibility
Could the project realistically be implemented or piloted after the hackathon?

Execution
How well was the idea developed and demonstrated within the time constraints?

Presentation
How clearly and effectively does the team communicate the problem and solution?

Judges will review all eligible submissions and select finalists.

Finalist teams may be invited to present their projects during the final demo session.

After presentations, judges will determine the winning teams based on the judging criteria listed above.

Decisions by the judging panel are final.