DATES

Final submissions are due Sunday, November 16 at 12:30 PM.
All submissions must be made through Devpost only.
This is a hard deadline. Submissions after 12:30 PM will not be considered.

 

ELIGIBILITY

HackNYU is committed to maintaining an inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment. All participants must agree to:

  • The MLH Code of Conduct

  • The MLH Contest Terms and Conditions

  • The MLH Rules

  • The MLH Privacy Policy

The following individuals are not eligible to submit a project:

  • Directors

  • Organizers

  • Volunteers

  • Mentors

  • Sponsors

  • Vendors

  • Anyone involved with HackNYU operations

Teams may have a maximum of 4 members.
All teammates must be added to the Devpost submission to be eligible for prizes.

PROJECT & SUBMISSION RULES

Any violation of these rules may result in immediate disqualification.

Team Structure

  • Individuals or teams may participate.

  • Teams may include up to 4 members only.

Project Requirements

  • You must build your project between Saturday at 11:00 AM and Sunday at 12:30 PM.

  • All code must be submitted in a public GitHub repository and linked in Devpost.

  • Code must be uploaded before the deadline.

    • A functional demo without uploaded code will be disqualified.

  • Public frameworks and libraries are allowed.

    • You must credit all external tools in your README and Devpost submission.

    • Submitting only copied code will result in disqualification.

  • Each participant may contribute to one project only.

Submission Rules

  • No cross-posting to other hackathons during HackNYU.

  • You may opt into one HackNYU track (Fintech, IMA/Entertainment, Education, Sustainability, or Healthcare).

  • You may also opt into any sponsor tracks.

  • You must be registered and checked in to submit a project.

Judging Rules

  • Judging will be held in person.

  • Each team must present a maximum 2-minute demo to judges on Sunday.

  • Judges will visit each table multiple times during the judging period.

  • Table numbers will be assigned during the event.

  • You may not embellish or misrepresent functionality during judging.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Each project will be reviewed by at least three general judges, plus additional judges for sponsor prizes. Submissions are evaluated holistically across four categories:

Creativity

  • How original is the idea?

  • Does it approach a known problem in a new way?

  • Is there a clear “aha” moment behind the concept?

Utility

  • Does the hack work?

  • How complete or in-depth is its functionality?

  • Would someone realistically use this in its current state?

Charity

  • Does the project address a meaningful societal need?

  • Does it demonstrate positive impact or contribution to the community?

Avidity

  • How passionate and engaged is the team?

  • Does the demo, the Devpost description, and future plans show genuine excitement?

  • How polished is the final submission?

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR EDGE AI TRACK

To be considered for the prize, your submission must meet the following basic criteria:

1. The application shall not include any closed-source existing code; all codes shall be open for consumption and available to the public.

2. The application must be provided in a GitHub repository, with the following files in addition to your code:

  • A README file with the following information:
    - An application description;
    - Names and emails of all eligible individuals on the team;
    - Setup instructions from scratch, including dependencies if applicable;
    - Run and usage instructions; and
  • An open-source license (MIT License or anyone which you prefer) (Refer to https://choosealicense.com for help choosing)

3. The application must be runnable using your provided instructions.

4. The application and most components must run on the edge (on-device).

5. The application must be capable of being successfully installed and run on the platforms for which it is intended and must function as depicted in the text description.

6. (Optional) - The following components are highly recommended but not mandatory:

  • Tests and testing instructions to verify the app setup;
  • Notes section containing additional information not covered in the application description;
  • References used while developing the application; and
  • Well-commented code

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR EDGE AI TRACK
  • Evaluation based on NPU utlization, latency and performance, and energy efficiency.
  • Evaluation through the lens of problem solving, creativity and uniqueness, and user experience.
  • Evaluation based on on-device execution and privacy and security.
  • Evaluation based on ease of installation and use.
  • Evaluation based on the clarity of the explanation during the presentation, and code quality and documentation.