HenHacks is a beginner-friendly hackathon hosted on the University of Delaware's campus for all college students of any major. Our goal is to help develop and enhance students' technical skills to prepare them to be competitive applicants in technology-related careers.

This in-person event will take place on Feb 28th - Mar 1st in Smith and Gore Halls at UD. Join us for a weekend of project-building, workshops, and networking with our sponsors!

Categories

Beginner Category

Description:
If you have completed up to 3 computer science classes and have never attended a hackathon for half your team members, this category is for you!

Beginners can submit to any of the categories below, but will be judged within this Beginners track, where creativity and learning matter most.

You don’t need a fully working prototype; what matters most is how you approach a problem and communicate your solution.

This year beginners will only be able to submit to the beginner category track. A beginner team must have at least one beginner and no more than one non-beginner hacker. Beginner teams may choose to submit to two main categories rather than the beginner category.

First Prize: iPad

Second Prize: Mechanical Keyboard, Mini Projectors

Security & Safety - Sponsored by LabWare

Description:
As technology becomes part of everything we do, the need for safety in both online and offline spaces rapidly expands. This category explores how we can build trust, protect people, and reduce risk in an increasingly digital world.

How might we create systems that keep information secure, safeguard communities, or help individuals make safer choices in their daily interactions with technology?

First Prize: 3D Printer

Second Prize: JBL Speaker

Sustainability & Humanitarian Challenges

Description:
Our planet and resources are under pressure. Technology has the power to significantly act as a detriment to the planet’s resources, but it also has the power to significantly improve our resource usage and to drive long-term balance and resilience.

This category invites solutions that rethink how we use and manage energy and materials, or sustain ecosystems, addressing not just environmental challenges, but also the habits and infrastructures that shape them.

First Prize: Xbox Series X

Second Prize: AirPods 4

Community Wellness & Social Connections

Description:
Healthy communities rely on both physical and emotional well-being. This category encourages users to explore ways in which technology can improve quality of life, in both physical and mental care.

How might a technological solution strengthen the bonds between people, promote inclusivity, or make health and wellness resources more accessible?

First Prize: Switch 2

Second Prize: Amazon Echo

Automation Systems & Public Infrastructure - Sponsored by Bentley

Description:
So much of our world depends on outdated and inefficient systems. This category explores how automation, data, or design thinking can reimagine public infrastructure: from everyday logistics to civic operations.

How might we use technology to make public systems more reliable, accessible, and adaptive to real human needs?

First Prize: Meta Quest 3S

Second Prize: Sony Headphones

Requirements

Submission Requirements:

Repository links
Demo videos or images
Make sure to indicate which hack category this submission is for
- If you submit to more than two categories, you will be disqualified and reported to MLH
- If you choose to submit to the beginner category you can only submit to that single category

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$1,000+ in prizes

+ other prizes

Beginner Category

2 winners

1st Place: iPad (1 per member)
2nd Place: Mechanical Keyboard, Mini Projectors (1 per member)

Security & Safety - Sponsored by LabWare

2 winners

1st Place: 3D Printer (1 per member)
2nd Place: JBL Speaker (1 per member)

Sustainability & Humanitarian Challenges

2 winners

1st Place: Xbox Series X (1 per member)
2nd Place: Airpods 4 (1 per member)

Community Wellness & Social Connections

2 winners

1st Place: Switch 2 (1 per member)
2nd Place: Amazon Echo (1 per member)

Automation Systems & Public Infrastructure - Sponsored by Bentley

2 winners

1st Place: Meta Quest 3S (1 per member)
2nd Place: Sony Headphones (1 per member)

[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API

1 winner

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 ElevenLabs

1 winner

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 Solana

1 winner

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 DigitalOcean

1 winner

Retro Wireless Mouse
DigitalOcean offers a reliable and easy-to-use cloud platform for every stage of your project. Leverage core services like Droplets, Managed Databases, and App Platform to build, deploy, and scale your application effortlessly. Building with AI? DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI enables you to build, train, and deploy machine learning models, including access to GPU infrastructure and serverless inference!

Sign up for DigitalOcean today and get $200 worth of free credits that you can use towards building your next great hack. Build with DigitalOcean's robust cloud infrastructure for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your teammates!

[MLH] Best Use of Snowflake API

1 winner

M5Stack Tab5
Play with industry-leading LLMs on a single account using the Snowflake APIs. Adding AI capabilities into your application can be as simple as a single CURL command to Snowflake’s REST API.

Build customized applications, RAG powered chat bots, or embed AI-powered features into your app in half the time with half the hassle. Get started for free with a special, student 120-day Snowflake trial and check out this repository for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.

[MLH] Best Use of .Tech

1 winner

Desktop Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years!
Make your Team's Achievements timeless: Win a .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years to Showcase and Expand Your Project, Plus Desktop Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!

SmallTalk Mini Category

$1,000 in cash

1 winner

The Smalltalk Mini Category sponsored by Labware will award $1,000 in Visa gift cards to one winning team. To help with judging, teams submitting to this category must include a README file at the top level of their GitHub submission. This README should briefly describe how Smalltalk was used in the project and indicate where any Smalltalk-related files can be found in the repository. This will ensure reviewers can easily understand and evaluate your implementation.

Judges

Jane Fox

Curtis Morris Aiken III

Tamia Cotton

Pramod Kalyanasundaram

Abhishek Trehan

Gavin Caulfield

Ian McCabe

Pathik Sharma

Teya Rutherford

Sagar Shah

Swapneel Chowdhury

Mitul Chittoory

Sagar Bharat Patel

Faith Lovell

Katie Wassil

Austin Cory Bart

Kathy McCoy

Greg Silber

Matthew Louis Mauriello

Judging Criteria

Impact
The magnitude and significance of the problem addressed by the project and the effectiveness of the solution proposed by the team.
Creativity/Originality
The extent to which the team demonstrated originality and creativity in their approach to address the prompt.
Technical Complexity
The level of technical difficulty in implementing the solution and the extent to which the team utilized innovative technologies.
Feasibility
The feasibility of implementing the proposed solution in the real world, including any legal or logistical challenges that may arise.