Dates
February 8 - February 9, 2025
Eligibility
All participants must be high school students in North Carolina. All NCSSM residential students are invited to participate on both the Morganton and Durham campuses. All other NC high school students are invited to participate virtually.
Project and Submission Requirements
- 3-minute video pitching your project (including project demos)
- Source code as a GitHub repository
- Links to live demos of your "hack" (if applicable)
- Project write-up on devpost
Judging Criteria and Winner Selection
Originality
- Did the team take a fresh approach to an old problem?
- Does the hack tackle a unique aspect of the problem?
Impact
- Does the hack have clear real-world implications?
- How well thought-out is the concept?
- Does the hack adhere to its respective track?
Execution
- How well did the team translate their idea into a functional prototype?
- Is the hack well-designed?
Presentation
- Was the hack pitched in a compelling manner?
- How well did the team understand their chosen problem?
- Is the concept viable for an entrepreneur?
Track-Specific Criteria
Web & Mobile Applications
- Ease of Use: Is the interface simple and accessible, even if it’s basic?
Hardware
- Prototype Quality: Does the hardware function, even in a basic way, to demonstrate the idea?
Explanatory Modeling & Computational Science
- Simplified Approach: Did the team use accessible methods (e.g., spreadsheets, basic simulations) to explain their model?
AI & Machine Learning
- Ethical Considerations: Did the team demonstrate awareness of fairness, bias, or other AI-related issues?