Some of our more technical hackathons such as the AI themed hackathons may have technical support. If so, you will be invited to a “Tech Primer” where you will be provided the resources needed for a successful hackathon. Feel free to ask questions at these tech primers and use the organizers as the point of contact for additional support.

Just enthusiasm, curiosity, and a great attitude.

Things that are helpful to bring include: refillable water bottle, sweat shirt (dress in layers), and don’t forget your charging cables. We provide reusable utensils and we do not replace them so make sure to wash them and bring them to your next meal.

Yes—most participants apply without having a team. Team formation sessions are designed to help you meet new people and explore ideas collaboratively. Participants who pitch an idea during team formation always find a team, and we strongly encourage you to share your idea even if you ultimately join another project.

It depends on the hackathon. Some events—particularly NYC-based hackathons and select Ithaca hackathons—allow students from other institutions, space permitting.

Preference is always given to Cornell students. Interested non-Cornell participants should apply or contact the Cornell Hackathons team directly.

Faculty interested in integrating a hackathon into a course should contact Ami Stuart (ams345@cornell.edu).

If you have an existing idea, you are encouraged to work on it provided it is in an early or exploratory stage. Several startups have emerged after teams participated in multiple Cornell Hackathons together. Yet, most people start with new ideas and develop it throughout the weekend.

However, fully funded or established startups may be better suited for accelerators or external programs. If unsure, please contact the Cornell Hackathons team for guidance.

Switching teams during the hackathon is strongly discouraged.

In cases of extenuating circumstances—such as teammates not showing up—please notify an organizer so we can assist. You may switch teams freely before the event begins, but once the hackathon starts, we expect teams to remain intact.

Judging criteria are published on each hackathon’s website. Generally, teams are evaluated on:

• Innovation

• Feasibility

• Impact

Each category is scored on a 0–2 scale:

0: Missed the mark

1: Met expectations

2: Excelled

The judges consist of faculty, investors, alumni, founders and mentors from the sponsor companies. These are world class experts in their respective fields and you will receive feedback after your presentation. Judge sheets include an area for judges to provide feedback, after the hackathon, this feedback is anonymized and provided to the teams.

Yes. Prize tracks vary by hackathon and year and may include:

• Overall winners

• Category-specific awards

• Sponsor-led recognitions

Prizes depend on sponsors and themes and may change annually.

Prizes may include cash awards, employment opportunities, mentorship, or continued support, but are not guaranteed unless explicitly stated. Prize structures are subject to sponsor availability, logistics, and economic conditions.

Both matter. Judges typically value how well an idea is executed and communicated relative to the judging criteria. Each hackathon is subjective to the interpretation of their respective judges. Past experience indicates that judges value the execution of your presentation and idea in regards to the judging criteria. We do not expect that you have a fully functioning prototype or MVP during your presentation. However, teams have used mock up apps, 3D printed applications, food samples, and demoed creative aspects. The hackathon is more about exploring innovative ideas but it is also a combination of the quality of work that you put together. Novelty and Feasibility (technically feasible and business feasibility) tend to be the most important.

Yes! There will be mentors from the sponsor companies, faculty, alumni, founders, other students and people from all walks of life. They are here to help so do not be afraid to ask them questions. There may be a limited number of mentors on Friday night. The majority of mentors are available throughout the day on Saturday. Teams have formal check-ins with mentors on Saturday. Mentors are not assigned to work with specific teams. Rather, Teams provide an update on what they need help with to an audience of mentors. After all teams have provided an update, mentors visit the teams that they are able to help. In this way, a team may be visited by a dozen mentors, or may be visited a few. During these mentor sessions, the mentors will actively seek out and visit teams. Outside of these active mentoring sessions, the mentors are still available, usually in a common area of the hackathon. At these times if teams need help, or if a student simply wants to talk to a specific mentor they should reach out to them directly.

We have mentors from all over the world and in all industries at all levels of seniority. Mentors are typically listed on the hackathon website so you can review in advance who will be in attendance.

Your team’s intellectual property is yours to keep. Cornell nor the sponsors own your intellectual property so feel free to leverage the business opportunities during and after the hackathon. It should also be noted that hackathon projects are typically in the very earliest stages of development for which there may be little in the way of IP. If you are bringing an idea to the hackathon that you have already put significant time into with plans of future commercialization, expectations regarding claims of ownership should be discussed in advance of the hackathon with team members you recruit to your project.

Yes! Mentors are there to help and support you throughout the hackathon. Do not hesitate to reach out after the event is over via LinkedIn or email. This information is available to participants.

Come prepared with:

• A clear explanation of your idea

• Specific questions, articulation is key

• Openness to feedback

• Look at the mentors in advance, look at their LinkedIn, to identify if there’s anyone in particular you’d like to meet –because they work at a company you are interested in, hold the position you hope to have some day, have a similar degree to you or did your degree program and you want to ask them questions.

• Actively seek multiple perspectives and document mentor input so you can iterate quickly.

Yes! Entrepreneurship at Cornell has mentors, legal advisors, funding opportunities, and more.

Yes, we encourage you to continue your project after the hackathon. You will want to meet with you school’s Entrepreneurship office to meet with a mentor before pitching your idea to investors. You only have one chance to make a first impression.

Yes, we will upload all the projects into 1 file and share them with our industry partners. Sometimes, they ask us to share participants’ resumes for potential employment opportunities.

Yes, 75% of each hackathon’s participants are first time hackers. Students from all majors and schools participate in our hackathons.

Yes, participation is free due to the generosity of our sponsors. If you sign up, please attend since it is expensive for each person to do one of our hackathons. We are fully funded by the sponsors and no shows will be banned for 1 year from our events. If for any reason you are no longer able to attend it is very important to give us as much notice as possible when cancelling. Participating in a hackathon is a weekend long commitment. Cancelling on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday doesn’t give a person on the waitlist much time to re-arrange their schedule to participate and find a team.

Participants must follow Cornell’s Student Code of Conduct.

Disruptive or inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated, and organizers reserve the right to remove participants if necessary. This type of behavior also results in a ban from participation in all future hackathons.

Highlight:

The problem you worked on

Your role and contributions

Outcomes (pitch, prototype, feedback, awards)

Feel free to tag us @EntreprenerushipAtCornell so that we can like and repost!

Yes! Companies often provide us funding for employment opportunities. They want to see how you work throughout the weekend so that they can offer you positions in their companies. We have several success stories of Cornellians being hired as a result of their work in the hackathons. This does not mean that only the winners are chosen for these internships or jobs, everyone has the opportunity to make an impact.

We currently do not offer certificates but feel free to place us as a reference for any employment opportunities pertaining to the hackathons.

Yes, Saturday is an excellent opportunity to network with alumni and/or employers. They want to see you succeed – whether that means partnering with you to propel your project forward, extending an employment offer, etc. Sometimes, sponsors have demos to showcase what they are working on to see if you’d be interested in joining their company. You never really know but the opportunities at our hackathons are endless!

We are all part of the Entrepreneurship at Cornell ecosystem that supports student founders. We run the LinkedIn listserve, support eLab, manage both eHubs, etc. If you want to know anything entrepreneurial at Cornell, check out our website or stop by for a chat.

Some (not all) hackathons are connected to a course such as AEM3255 Creativity Sprint. Other schools such as the Vet school have also offered courses but they vary by year. These are often 1.5 credit courses that count towards the Entrepreneurship minor’s practicum.

Yes. Many Cornell entrepreneurship programs are founder- and idea-driven, not technical-skill dependent. Non-technical founders are strongly supported.

Start by continuing your project, gathering feedback, and reaching out to Entrepreneurship at Cornell.

From there, you can explore accelerators, funding programs, mentorship, and venture-building pathways within the Cornell ecosystem.

While there is no specific due dates for our hackathons, the sooner that you apply the better! Most of our events are on a rolling basis so applying last minute does not guarantee a spot on our events. While we would love to accept everyone, we are capped at the building or venue's capacity. Seriously, we have had hackathons where we could do 3 hackathons will all the applicants.

Some of our fast paced hackathons have small application periods, such as international hackathons (Qatar). The best rule of thumb is to apply as soon as you can commit to that weekend. There is a possibility of being accepted the day of if there are cancellations.

Only apply if you can commit to the weekend. Cancellations must be notified to us via email. Failure to cancel and no shows will be banned from our hackathons for at least 1 year.

Our hackathons are dynamic, interdisciplinary events where students from diverse fields (like veterinary medicine, human health, engineering, food science, business, and agriculture) come together to solve real-world challenges in a fun, collaborative environment. These events celebrate the power of minimal resources and maximum brainpower to create innovative solutions ("hacks") within a limited timeframe.

Throughout the weekend, students form teams to develop holistic, viable solutions with guidance and feedback from mentors who provide real-world context. The experience is enriched by this mentorship and the diverse skill sets within each team.

The hackathon culminates in a final competition where teams present their projects to a panel of judges, industry representatives, and the campus community. Winners are awarded monetary prizes based on their innovation and presentation.

Our hackathons promote a healthy, balanced experience—no all-nighters here! We provide nutritious meals and snacks, and everyone is encouraged to get a good night's sleep.

Participating in a hackathon is a fantastic opportunity to develop valuable professional skills that are applicable across various career paths, (academic, clinical, nonprofit, startups and more). Here’s what you’ll gain:

• Idea Generation: Learn to brainstorm and develop innovative solutions.

• Problem-Solving: Tackle real-world challenges creatively and efficiently.

• Teamwork: Work within diverse, multidisciplinary teams.

• Project Management: Manage projects from conception to execution.

• Branding & Marketing: Develop strategies to market your ideas.

• Public Speaking: Hone your presentation skills by pitching your projects.

This experiential learning environment not only boosts your resume but also prepares you for future professional endeavors. Ready to build, innovate, and collaborate? Join us and make a difference!

Yes, some of the hackathons can earn you academic credit by enrolling in the corresponding course(s).

AEM3255/ILROB3255 /AEM5255: Creativity Sprint: An Entrepreneurship Hackathon (1.5credits) is associated with the Food Hackathon in the Fall semester. Open to any student.

NBA6029 (1.5 credits) and VETMED6789 (1credit) : Leading Agile Innovation is associated with the Animal Health Hackathon in the Spring semester. NBA is open to all students, VETMED is limited to veterinary students.

The courses are designed to complement the Hackathon, and require completing the full weekend event as well as mandatory pre-and post-Hackathon lectures and learning exercises.

Yes! Any student can participate in the Hackathon(s)

*Note: while a student can only take a for-credit course once, students can participate in hackathons an unlimited number of times while they are a student at Cornell.

You will receive an email from us outlining the details of your acceptance, as well as calendar invites for key dates. If a hackathon is full, you may be placed on the waitlist so keep an eye on your inbox.

Nope! Most participants (90%) sign up solo. We host two team formation sessions the week before the hackathon to help you meet fellow innovators and form teams.

You may know a few friends or peers from class who are also signing up, and while you can all apply for the Hackathon together, it's not guaranteed that everyone will be admitted. If you're intending to participate with specific people, sign up early!

Teams are required to be between 4-6 people, all individually registered and accepted to the Hackathon.

While there are no requirements for expertise or background, diverse interdisciplinary teams often create the most exciting and well-developed ideas. We recommend using the team formation sessions to find complementary skillsets!

Nope! You don't need an idea to join in. Students with ideas will pitch them to recruit team members, so you can join any team that sparks your interest. You can also check out the hackathon challenges posted on the Hackathon website for inspiration, or bring your own idea to the event.

Sunday is all about showcasing your hard work. Every team will get 4 minutes to present their project to a panel of judges, followed by a 4-minute Q&A session.

The pitch order is decided on Sunday morning after all projects are submitted. It's your moment to shine and share your innovative solutions with the judges! The pitch order, room assignments, and judging criteria can be seen in the hackathon schedule.

Whenever possible we try to arrange a single charter bus to assist Cornell's Ithaca based students to attend NYC hackathons, leaving Friday morning and returning students on sunday back to Ithaca. We do not have any travel stipends of any kind. Lodging is not provided for students participating in Ithaca Hackathons, nor for students participating in NYC hackathons. We do not have stipends, nor do we arrange, recommend, or coordinate housing / lodging / accommodations for students. Hackers need to be prepared to arrange and cover these costs themselves. Do not plan on staying at the venue, this is not permitted. Even if you are "awake and working all night" you still must leave. Do not bring a sleeping bag, cot, etc...campus buildings and and conference venues must be vacated each evening.

Each team consists of 4–6 students. This is a strict limit—no more than 6, no less than 4. We strongly encourage teams to be diverse in major, graduation year, degree program, and perspectives, as interdisciplinary collaboration leads to stronger ideas and outcomes. All students on a team must have applied to be in the hackathon and have received messaging confirming their acceptance to participate. All team members must be on site and present, no remote participation, and all team members must be current university students.

Absolutely. Cornell Hackathons welcome students from all majors and schools. These events are not exclusive programming competitions and do not require advanced technical expertise. While some hackathons may lean more technical depending on the theme, there is always strong demand for business, design, policy, research, communication, and strategy-oriented skillsets. Some hackathons are more technically advanced than others, but we try to have a diverse student base attending our events.

Hackathons are entirely in person, with limited virtual components (typically one team formation session on Zoom). Teams are expected to be physically present throughout the weekend, including final presentations. Failure to attend after registering (no shows) will result in a 1-year ban from hackathons organized by us.

Friday: The schedule starts around 4/5pm on Friday of the event weekend. Usually with an hour to check-in, followed by kick-off programming, dinner, and a solution design workshop designed to get you off to a quick start for the weekend. Hackers are expected to arrive in time for the kick-off. This first day usually concludes by 9:15pm, upon which most hackers leave for the evening.

Saturday: Hacking begins, you work with teams, go to progress check-ins, meet with mentors, and eat good food. Sometimes there's a reception, sometimes there's workshops, and sometimes there's special desserts. You & your team decide when you'd like to start in the morning and finish in the evening. Be sure you complete the Team Registration form at 9am. Most teams finish by 10pm. There are no over-nights, no all-nighters. Students must leave the venue (no sleeping over).

Sunday: Hacking stops by 9am when you turn in your final project. You'll pitch your solutions in the first round of judging, and top teams get selected to pitch a final round. Sometimes there's a reception, sometimes there's a big bear, and sometimes there's other surprises. Event closes out after awards [usually 3pm]. You're not required to stay for awards if you do not make it to the final demo round.

*Please note, you must apply and be accepted to the event BEFORE check-in on Friday.

Hacking will stop by 9 or 10AM, and the first round of pitching rooms + orders will be announced. After the first round of pitching, judges select top teams to do a final demo in front of final, new judges. All participants are provided lunch and we run through a Retrospective together before finalists are announced.

*Please check your specific event schedule for exact times.