HackTX is an annual hackathon at the University of Texas at Austin. A hackathon is a space for students of any major to come together and come up with creative solutions using technology. They are a place to learn, to meet others, and to innovate. We design our hackathons to be beginner-friendly, and we will have plenty of mentors and workshops to guide you.
Check out https://hacktx.com/ for additional information!
Spirit of the CompetitionRemember that hackathons are like marathons. Some people go to compete, but most people take part to better themselves and have fun. Regardless of why you're at a hackathon, ensure you're upholding the hacker spirit and Community Values by collaborating with other teams, helping beginners, and having fun.
Requirements
All projects must be built during the hacking period from 11:30 am CST on October 18th to 11:30 am CST on October 19th, 2025. The project should be submitted to this DevPost, and team member(s) must be present in person during judging to be considered! Team size must be between 1-4 people.
MLH Digital Event Submission RulesFor fully digital hackathons that MLH hosts, hackathon submissions are subject to additional rules.
- We require all teams to submit a 2 minute or less demo video. Your video must be created the weekend of the hackathon.
- Your video must remain public post event to be eligible for prizes. If your video is not public, new winners may be selected.
- Your demo video must state the name of the hackathon at the beginning of the video. Ex. "Hey I'm Sam and this is my demo for CorgiHacks."
- You must have completed all registration steps for the hackathon.
- You are allowed to submit your project to other hackathons (taking place over the same period) as long as the other hackathon also allows this.
- You can not submit a project that includes prior work.
After hacking finishes, teams will show their projects to each other and to the judges. Either via a prerecorded video (typically at digital events or live demos at physical hackathons).
You are strongly encouraged to present a demo of what you have built. Pitches and presentations are discouraged. You are not judged on the quality of your pitch or the quality of your idea. As you are judged on what you built, you'll only hurt yourself by not showing a demo.
You are encouraged to present what you have done even if your hack is broken or you weren’t able to finish. It's okay if you didn't finish your hack—that happens all the time! Completion is only one part of the judging criteria, so you might still do well.
Demoing is not just about the competition. It's a chance to share with others what you learned and what you tried to build—that's what hacking's all about! For being courageous enough to demo, you'll receive an event specific "I Demoed" sticker from MLH. In the case that you don't have anything to demo, you can give a presentation about what you tried and what you learned. Hearing what other people learned is interesting and inspiring for other attendees.
Prizes
Best Overall
The best all-round hack, this prize considers design, complexity, and impact to determine the best hackathon prize!
Best Overall winning team receives $4,000! In addition, thanks to our partners at NordVPN, each member will also receive 1-year subscriptions to NordVPN, NordPass, NordProtect, and Incogni, 1 GB of free data for Saily, 3-month access, and a €200 (~$270) credit for nexos.ai
Best Novice
New to hackathons? We’ve got the track for you! Compete against other first-timers to win a grand prize of your own. This prize also considers design, complexity, and impact.
Best Novice wins $2,000!
Best Design
The end user experience is one of the most important parts of an app. This prize seeks clean assets, ease-of-use, and sensibly designed projects.
Best Design wins $1,000!
Best Pitch
Do you have the gift of persuasion, the power to captivate an audience, and the ability to present your project with the charisma it deserves? If so, the "Best Pitch" challenge is tailored just for you! In this hackathon category, we're looking for teams or individuals who can develop innovative solutions and convey their ideas convincingly and compellingly.
Best Pitch prize to be announced!
Best Celestial-Themed
Reach for the stars with HackTX 2025's celestial theme! This prize will be awarded to the project that best captures the wonder of the cosmos. From galactic exploration games to innovative uses of astronomical data, we want to see your most stellar ideas come to life. Best Celestial-Themed hack wins $1,000!
Best Human Intelligence
This prize celebrates the art of software craftsmanship. It will be awarded to the most outstanding project that does not rely on AI or ML for its core functionality. The winning team will be the one that best demonstrates excellence in architecture, user experience, and creative problem-solving. Best Human Intelligence wins $1,000!
[MLH] Best .Tech Domain Name
Prize: Blue Snowball Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years!
What's in a name? Everything! Especially when it ends in .tech. This prize, brought to you by our partners at Major League Hacking (MLH), will go to the team with the most memorable and innovative .tech domain of the weekend. Winners get to take home a Blue Snowball Microphone and will get their .Tech Domain Name free for up to a decade!
[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
Prize: ElevenLabs Apple Airpods 4
Make your project speak for itself! With ElevenLabs' powerful generative voice AI, you can bring your hack to life with realistic, expressive audio. In partnership with Major League Hacking (MLH), we're challenging you to find the most creative or compelling use of their API. From dynamic storytelling to creating interactive user assistants, the possibilities are endless. The winning team will win a set of ElevenLabs branded Airpods!
[MLH] Best AI Application Built with Cloudflare
Prize: Large Arduino Starter Kit
Cloudflare is one of the world’s largest networks enabling hackers like you to build, deploy, and deliver trusted applications, no matter where you are! With Cloudflare, you’ll have all the building blocks to create a full-stack application; from C3 (create Cloudflare command line) instance deployment to object storage. You can even run GenAI (LLMs, text to image, Voice to text etc..) in the cloud and leverage your AI functionality via API requests using Cloudlfare’s Workers AI! Enjoy Cloudflare’s generous free tier to get started at no cost! This weekend, we want you to build an AI Application utilizing Cloudflare’s numerous services for a chance to win Arduino Kits for you and your team.
[MLH] Best Use of DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI
Prize: 8BitDo Retro Mouse
DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI is a unified AI cloud for building, training, and deploying machine learning models and AI agents. Get access to GPU infrastructure like DigitalOcean GPU Droplets and Bare Metal servers, along with serverless inference and 1-Click Models for instant deployment of your favorite LLMs!!
Sign up for DigitalOcean today and get $200 worth of free credits that you can use towards building your next Gradient-powered hack. Enable your next project with DigitalOcean GradientTM AI for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your team mates!
[MLH] Best Use of ARM
Prize: Handheld Game Console
From your smartphone to smart home devices, ARM architecture powers the world around us. This prize, from our partners at Major League Hacking (MLH), is for the team that builds the most impressive project on an ARM-based device. Whether you're creating a mobile app, hacking on a Raspberry Pi, or building a cool new IoT gadget, show us your best ARM-powered innovations! The winning team will take home a handheld game console!
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
Prize: Mechanical Keyboards
What will you build with the power of next-generation AI? In partnership with Major League Hacking (MLH), this prize is for the team that uses the Google Gemini API to create something truly jaw-dropping. Think bigger than just a chatbot—generate music, analyze scientific papers, or invent a tool that no one has thought of before. Show us the future of AI. The team with the most innovative AI-powered application will win new mechanical keyboards!
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini 2.5 Computer Use Model
Prize: 3D Printing Pen
The world is more than just text. With the Google Gemini API, your hack can perceive and understand visual data like never before. In partnership with Major League Hacking (MLH), we're looking for the project that uses Gemini's vision to solve a unique problem, create a stunning interactive experience, or unlock new insights from images and video. The team with the most insightful project will win their very own 3D printing pens!
Best Toyota Hack
Toyota Financial Services wants to simplify vehicle financing for customers. Develop a web or mobile solution that helps users find personalized financing or leasing options based on their income, credit score, and preferences. The app should provide clear payment simulations, compare plans, and offer tips to improve financial decisions. Optionally, suggest Toyota models that fit the user’s budget and lifestyle. Create a smart, easy-to-use tool that empowers customers to choose the best way to finance or lease their Toyota vehicle. 1st place wins a $500 Amazon Gift Card, 2nd place wins a $350 Amazon Gift Card, and 3rd place wins a $150 Amazon Gift Card!
Best NorthMark Hack
F1 races are won and lost in milliseconds, with teams running complex simulations for tire strategy, fuel management, and aerodynamic setups while the race unfolds in real-time. Current HPC systems can model thousands of race scenarios, but race engineers struggle to quickly interpret results and communicate optimal strategies to drivers during the 2-hour race window. Build a solution that bridges high-performance computing with real-time race decision-making. Prizes for the top 3 teams will include Apple Watch Series 11, Meta Wayfarer Sunglasses, and NMC² branded AirPods 4. 1st place team gets first pick!
Best Capital One Hack
This track challenges participants to change the game in fintech. The prize will be awarded to the team that presents the boldest ideas in action, whether it’s an innovative payment solution, a tool to help consumers shop smarter, a method to make financing more accessible, or a creative way to improve financial literacy. The track is intentionally broad to encourage maximum creativity.
To assist in development, participants may optionally take advantage of Capital One’s Hackathon API, Nessie (api.nessieisreal.com). This API provides mock banking and transaction data that can help spearhead ideas. Please note that the usage of this API is completely optional. There are no required technologies, APIs, or platforms for this prize.
The prize will be a $250 Amazon gift card for each member of the winning team!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Freetail Hackers
Judging Criteria
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Creativity
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Implementation
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Presentation
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Learning
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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