In the not so distant future...
The University of Central Florida’s premier hackathon, Knight Hacks VIII, emerges from the shadows...
During the 36-Hour coding showdown, hackers will enlist the power of workshops, swag, tech talks, side quests, free food, games, and community to save the world!
Our friends T.K. and Lenny are at straits, and it’s YOUR job to settle the matter once and for all.
In a world where innovation is war and bugs are monsters, hackers have a choice...
Defeat darkness or take over the world!!!
Requirements
What can I build?
Anything your heart desires! Whatever you're interested in, we will support it. We have five tracks that will have extra resources, sponsored challenges, and other events to inspire you and prepare you. Check out our previous Devpost for examples of what participants built in the past!
Can I use a past project or something I've built before?
Nope—projects must be started after the hackathon begins. You're welcome to brainstorm ideas or learn tools ahead of time, but actual work should begin during the event to keep it fair for everyone.
How does project submission and judging work?
We use Devpost for project submissions, and judging follows a science fair style format where you'll demo your project to judges who visit your table. For more detailed information and deeper explanations of the submission process, check out the Hacker's Guide.
Prizes
Best Overall Hack
Macbook M4 Air, 13 inch, 16GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD Storage, MLH Winner Pins
and Gold TK Figure!
Best First Time Hack
Meta Quest 3S 128GB Virtual Reality Headset
and Gold TK Figure!
Best App Development Hack
11 inch iPad A16 128GB w/ WiFi, MLH Winner Pins
and Gold TK Figure!
Best Embedded Hack
HUGE Raspberry Pi 5 SBC & UNO R3 Micro-controller w/ 400+ attachments
(https://knight-hacks.notion.site/K-N-I-G-H-T-H-A-C-K-S-Ultra-Hardware-Bundle-288e290ccffe80f194f8ebe60f406c19), MLH Winner Pins
and Gold TK Figure!
Best AI Hack
Jetson Orin Nano 8GB Developer Kits, MLH Winner Pins and Gold TK Figure!
Best Game Hack
Steam Deck 256GB LCD, MLH Winner Pins and Gold TK Figure!
Prettiest Hack
11.3 inch Wacom One Drawing Tablet, Drawing Pen and Gold TK Figure!
Most "Useful" Hack
Smart Crisping 8-quart Touchscreen Stainless Steel Air Fryer and Gold TK Figure!
Google Cloud Gemini A2A ADK: The Autonomous Agent Challenge
- **1st Place**: $1,000 Google Cloud Credits, and Google Pixel Watch 4
- **2nd Place**: $800 Google Cloud Credits, and Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
- **3rd Place**: $500 Google Cloud Credits, and Google Swag
OneEthos: AI for Financial Empowerment Challenge
1st Place: $1,000 Deposit in a Climate First Bank Account per Person 2nd Place: $250 Deposit in a Climate First Bank Account per Person
Pheratech Systems: ROS2 Autonomy Challenge
- **1st Place:** Nintendo Switch 2
AMD: Best use of AMD Hardware/Software Challenge
- **1st Place:** Gaming/AI Desktop Computer, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Radeon 9070XT**,** and exclusive “AMD Knight Hacks Champion” polo shirts.
- **2nd Place:** $1000 AMD Developer Cloud Credit coupon and exclusive “AMD Knight Hacks Champion” polo shirts.
Auritas: Data Visualization and Algorithm Reconstruction Challenges
- **1st Place**: Meta Quest VR Headset, Direct Interview w/ CEO for Internship/Full-time Roles, Merch Gift Basket, Project Highlight to Senior Leadership, and Certificate of Achievement
Morgan & Morgan: AI Legal Tender Challenge
- **1st Place:** $4,000 (split)
- **2nd Place:** $2,000 (split)
- **3rd Place:** $1,000 (split)
NextEra Energy: Drone Optimization Challenge
- **1st Place:** Guaranteed interview for internships, rotational programs, or full-time roles (whichever fits you best)
- **2nd Place:** DJI Neo Drone for each team member
- **3rd Place:** $25 Amazon gift card for each team member
ServiceNow: Knowledge Gap Request Agent Challenge
- **1st Place:** Sony WH-1000XM4 Midnight Blue, Apple Air Tags, JBL Go 3, and swag!
- **2nd Place:** JBL Vibe Beam Wireless Earbuds, Apple Air Tags, JBL Go 3, and swag!
- **3rd Place:** Peicheng Bluetooth Speakers, Apple Air Tags, and swag!
ACM UCF
- **1st Place:** $50 Amazon Gift Cards
MLH - Best Use of Gemini API
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?
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** Google Swag Kits
MLH - Best Use of Gemini 2.5 Computer Use
The [Gemini 2.5 Computer Use](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/computer-use) model is a specialized model built on Gemini 2.5 Pro's capabilities that powers AI agents capable of interacting directly with user interfaces (UIs).
Essentially, it enables AI agents to perform complex digital tasks by navigating web pages and applications just as a human would, by clicking, typing, and scrolling.
Use Gemini 2.5 Computer Use in your project this weekend for a chance to win some 3D printing pens for you and your teammates!
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** 3D Printing Pen
MLH - Best Use of ElevenLabs
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 exclusive ElevenLabs branded airpods!
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** ElevenLabs Airpods
MLH - Best Use of Snowflake API
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](https://mlh.link/snowflake-signup)** and check out this [**repository](https://mlh.link/snowflake-tutorial)** for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** Arduino Tiny ML Kit
MLH - Best Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry
GoDaddy Registry is giving you everything you need to be the best hacker no matter where you are. Register your domain name with GoDaddy Registry for a chance to win some amazing prizes!
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** Digital Gift Card
MLH - Best Use of Arm
Building with ARM allows you to create highly efficient, performant, and scalable applications & software! From IoT and Smart Devices, to AI and Machine Learning, ARM’s high performance computing and extreme energy efficiency will power whatever hackathon project you’re creating into the next level.
With hundreds of sample projects and tutorials, you’ll find everything you need to get started and then some, at ARM’s developer hub. With ARM powering the vast majority of the world’s smartphones, tablets, laptops, servers, and IoT devices, now is your chance to get hands on with the most popular processor architecture around!
Assemble your team and build your hack using one of Arm's learning paths today for a chance to win some awesome prizes!
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** Handheld Game Console
MLH - Best Use of DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI
DigitalOcean GradientTM 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**](https://mlh.link/digitalocean-signup)
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!
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** Retro Wireless Mouse
MLH - Best Use of Vultr
Vultr empowers hackers to bring their high-performance projects to life instantly; providing everything from the speed of one-click deployment and scalable cloud compute, to specialized Vultr Cloud GPUs that can power AI-driven applications. We want you to push the limits of what can be built when infrastructure is no longer the bottleneck!Sign up for a Vultr account today and claim your free cloud credits! Take your next hack to the cloud with Vultr for a chance to win some awesome portable screens for you and your team!
**Prizes**
- **1st Place:** Portable Screens
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Knight Hacks Team
Judging Criteria
-
Originality
- Do you think the problem or topic space is unique? - Do you think the approach to the problem is original? - Have you heard of/seen this solution or project type before? -
Technical Understanding
- Do the presenters actually know what they’re talking about? - If they can’t explain something, do they successfully admit/callout the tools that helped them? - Did the hackers learn or grow this weekend? Did they admit to their technical challenges? -
Functionality
- Is the project polished, or still a proof of concept? - Does the project reliably work as intended and advertised? - Is the project end-to-end, or is it still largely fragmented? -
Design
- How appealing is the project to the eye? - Does it have good user experience? - Is the design intentional, or a bit random and inconsistent? -
Wow Factor
- Does this project give you hope for humanity? - If you were a company, would you acquire this project and give the team six figure salaries? - Do you want to show this project to your friends, family, coworkers, and/or social media?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Tell your friends
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