What is HackOHI/O?  

HackOHI/O is a 24-hour hackathon that attracts over 800 participants annually for a full weekend of coding, learning, networking, and innovation. HackOHI/O gives students a unique, experiential-learning opportunity to build technology projects from scratch in a welcoming environment.

Teams can come with an idea themselves or can take inspiration from challenges presented by our supporting companies and organizations. After 24-hours of “hacking”, teams present their projects to industry experts and judges to get feedback and compete for prizes.

HackOHI/O is hosted by OHI/O, a student organization at The Ohio State University. OHI/O is dedicated to fostering tech culture at Ohio State and its surrounding communities in Central Ohio.

OHI/O is proud of the legacy HackOHI/O has created over the past 11 years at Ohio State. This year, HackHI/O will feature new social activities, the opportunity for industry resume reviews, and new participant support tools, both in person and online.

OHI/O and the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship are partnering to support teams who want to take their project to the next level. Through a series of interactive workshops, Ohio State students gain valuable information and coaching to get ideas off the ground through the Best of Student Startups (BOSS) program. A golden ticket will be provided to the best independent project at HackOHI/O giving them access to this training and a guaranteed spot to pitch in the BOSS Finale. Winners of BOSS gain access to funding and the opportunity to pitch in the finale of the President’s Buckeye Accelerator with the chance to compete for a $50,000 award.

REGISTER @ hack.osu.edu/hack12

Requirements

What to Build

Participants in the hackathon are expected to build a functional prototype or software solution that aligns with the theme of the event. Teams should aim to demonstrate innovation, creativity, communication, and impact. Projects can address challenges provided by sponsoring companies. Additionally, teams are encouraged to explore interdisciplinary approaches, combining knowledge from areas like engineering, humanities, or business to create unique and meaningful solutions.

What to Submit

  • Google Forms Submission (Not Devpost): All teams must submit their projects through a Google Forms link, which will be shared on the hackathon Discord. Do not submit your project on Devpost. Any submissions made on Devpost will not be considered for judging or prizes. Ensure that your submission includes:

    • A project title and description
    • A video demo (up to 3 minutes) showcasing the project’s features and functionality
    • A clear explanation of the problem being solved and how the solution addresses it
    • Any relevant technical documentation, code repositories (e.g., GitHub), or diagrams

  • Presentation: During the presentation portion, participants will share their pre-recorded video with a panel of judges and other participants in their assigned Zoom room. There will be no live demos; judges will base their feedback and scoring on the video shared and the Q&A session after the video is played. Judging will occur in two rounds. Each group will be assigned to either the first or second round, and the specific round assignment will be communicated on Discord.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$10,484 in prizes
Samsung Freestyle Projector
4 winners

Meta Quest 3
4 winners

Sonos Move
4 winners

DJI Neo
4 winners

Logitech MX Bundle
4 winners

MX Master 3S for Mac, MX Keys S for Mac & MX Palm Rest

LARQ Water bottle
4 winners

Sony WF-C700N Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbuds
4 winners

Bean Bag
4 winners

5 feet beanbag chair

Amazon Gift Card
4 winners

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Arnav

Pratham U

Judging Criteria

  • Innovation
    Challenge the norm by analyzing existing solutions through testing or research, then exploring ways to improve or reinvent.
  • Curiosity
    Being curious, ask questions that inspire growth and result in the artful application of scientific principals.
  • Communication
    Effectively communicating project concepts including a visual representation that explains the project's development process and purpose.
  • Project Breadth and Complexity
    Leveraging knowledge and skills from the humanities, engineering, and science to successfully make complex/nontrivial new innovations.
  • Impact
    The project seeks to provide a solution with potential social, economic/busines, environmental or other tangible value.
  • Growth Mindset
    Testing ideas, recognizing barriers or failures as important moments of feedback and pivoting accordingly.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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Hackathon sponsors

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