Hack Indy 2026 is Purdue University in Indianapolis flagship hackathon, taking place from March 27–29, 2026. Join us for three dynamic days of collaboration, innovation, and hands-on learning as you work on projects that push the boundaries of technology.
What to Expect
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Inspiring Keynotes & Workshops: Learn from industry professionals through interactive sessions on emerging tech topics, including AI/ML and data governance
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Overnight Hacking: Fuel your creativity with round-the-clock hacking sessions, complete with free snacks and a supportive, energetic atmosphere.
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Team Collaboration: Whether you’re teaming up with friends or forming new alliances on the spot, HackIndy is all about building a community of passionate problem-solvers.
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Networking & Mentorship: Connect with peers, mentors, and local tech leaders who can help elevate your project and spark future collaborations.
Event Schedule at a Glance
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Friday, March 27 (6:00–8:00 PM):
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Check-in, swag distribution, and Opening Ceremony featuring keynotes, sponsor introductions, and team formation.
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Saturday, March 28 (12:00–8:00 PM):
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Workshops to enhance your skills, additional hacking time, dinner with a fun gaming competition, and another overnight hacking session.
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Sunday, March 29 (12:00–4:00 PM):
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Final project demos, judging by a panel of industry mentors and CS Club Officers, followed by a Closing Ceremony.
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Awards & Certificates
Certificates—presented by Purdue University’s Department of Computer Science—will be awarded to the winning teams!
Whether you’re a seasoned hacker or a first-timer eager to dive into the tech world, HackIndy is the perfect place to challenge yourself, learn new skills, and create lasting memories!
Requirements
- Teams may consist of 1–4 members
- Solo participation is allowed
- Maximum team size is strictly 4 participants
- Teams exceeding 4 members are not permitted
- Participants must be current Purdue University students (undergraduate or graduate)
- Mentors, volunteers, and organizers may not participate as hackers
- All projects must be started and completed during the hackathon timeframe
- Pre-built or previously developed projects are not allowed
- Each team may submit only one project
- All teams must submit:
- A GitHub repository link
- A detailed README including:
- Project description
- Technologies/frameworks used
- Clear explanation of what was built during the event
- Use of public frameworks, libraries, and APIs is allowed
- Use of LLMs / AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) is allowed
- Teams must clearly disclose all AI/tool usage in their README
- Projects must not be simple reskins of existing tools or templates
- Focus should be on original work completed during the hackathon
- Failure to properly credit tools or misrepresent work may result in:
- Disqualification
- Reporting to cheating@mlh.io
- Cross-submission to other hackathons during the same timeframe is not allowed
- Projects may not be submitted to other concurrent events
- Teams may not work on their project before the event begins
- Teams may submit their project to multiple prize categories
- Judging will be conducted via:
- Live final demos presented to the full audience
- All participants must adhere to the Purdue University Code of Conduct
- Any form of:
- Plagiarism
- Misrepresentation
- Academic dishonesty
will result in immediate disqualification
- There are no demographic-based participation requirements
- All eligible students may compete equally
Prizes
Award Certificates
Non-Cash Prizes
MLH || Best Use of ElevenLabs || 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 Gemini API || 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 Solana || 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 || 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 MongoDB Atlas || 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
Mike Hockerman
Trava Security - Lead Software Engineer
Jim Ulbright
Crowe LLC - AI/ML Engineer
Lyna Nguyen
Apple - Engineering Project Manager
Judging Criteria
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Innovation and Creativity (25%)
How unique and inventive is the idea? Does the project address a significant challenge or opportunity? -
Technical Implementation (25%)
Quality of coding, architecture, and overall functionality of the prototype. Effective and creative use of tools, frameworks, or hardware. -
Impact and Relevance (25%)
Potential to make a difference in the real world, including scalability and sustainability. How feasible is the solution for implementation and future development? -
Presentation and Communication (25%)
Was the project clearly explained in the write-up and demo video? Did the team effectively communicate their solution and its benefits?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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