About the challenge
> Tommie Buildfest 2026 is the University of St. Thomas's inaugural 24 hour student hackathon, hosted by UST Nexus. This year's theme is AI for the Common Good and we're focusing on one of the most pressing challenges in our backyard: food insecurity in the Twin Cities.
> In partnership with Tommie Food Shelf and The Food Group, we're bringing together students, designers, and builders to create technology that could make a real difference for people in our community who struggle to access nutritious food.
Get started
> 1. Register your team on https://buildfest-production.up.railway.app/rubric before the event.
> 2. Attend the kickoff on Friday, February 20th at 8 PM in Woulfe Alumni Hall.
> 3. Build something meaningful over 17 hours.
> 4. Submit your project on Devpost by 5:00 PM CST, Saturday February 21st.
> 5. Present to judges on Saturday evening.
Requirements
What to Build
> Build a technology solution — app, tool, platform, or prototype — that helps people in the greater Twin Cities community access nutritious food.
> Challenge Ideas (pick one to focus your project or create your own):
> - 📱 SNAP Benefits Tracker — Help users navigate, apply for, or maximize their SNAP/EBT benefits
> - 🥗 Nutrition Planner — Make it easier to plan, find, or afford healthy meals on a tight budget
> - 📊 Food & Learning Research — Visualize or surface data about food access and food insecurity in Minnesota
> - 🏢 Nonprofit Operations — Help organizations like Loaves & Fishes or The Food Group work more efficiently
> - ✨ Open Track — Any project that meaningfully addresses food insecurity in the Twin Cities
What to Submit
> By 5:00 PM CST on Saturday, February 21st, submit your Devpost project including:
> - A project name and description explaining what you built and why
> - A short demo video (2–3 minutes) showing your working prototype or concept
> - A link to your code (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
> - The names of all team members
> Projects do not need to be fully polished — a working prototype or well-scoped MVP is perfectly acceptable.
Prizes
1st Place
2nd Place
3rd Place
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Zin Khant
Judging Criteria
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Feasibility
-
Scope
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Impact
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Benefit to User
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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