Bring an idea. Build what’s next.

September 25-27, 2026 · Washington University in St. Louis

Join an expected 250+ students for a weekend of building, learning, and experimenting with AI. Turn a problem you care about into a working prototype, meet collaborators, and share what you create at the final showcase.

Your first hackathon? You’re in the right place.

No prior coding or AI experience is needed. Come with a team or find one here. Beginner-friendly workshops, mentors, and office hours will help you get from your first idea to a demo.

  • Learn something new. Explore AI tools with support from workshops and mentors.
  • Build something real. Sketch, prompt, code, test, and make an idea people can try.
  • Share your work. Demo your project, explain your choices, and show what you learned.

Find teammates · Explore resources · Read the rules

The weekend at a glance

Thursday, September 24 — the night before

  • 7:00 - 8:00 PM - From Idea to Prototype: Agentic Coding with Claude, a hands-on workshop from the WashU AI Club. Skandalaris Center, Mallinckrodt 128. Free, food provided, open to all experience levels. RSVP here.
  • Heads up: WashU now gives Danforth students Claude Edu for free. Finish the AI Literacy module on Canvas, then sign in at claude.ai with your WashU email — do it before Thursday so you can build instead of install.

Friday, September 25

  • 4:30 PM - Registration and team forming opens. Lopata gallery.
  • 5:00 PM - Opening ceremony. Lopata 101.
  • 5:30 PM - Prompt released. The build window opens.

Saturday, September 26

  • 10:00 - 11:30 AM - AI Code in the Real World, two talks from World Wide Technology plus live Q&A. Lopata 101. RSVP here.
  • 10:30 AM - Deadline to register and form a team.
  • 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM - WWT recruiting table. Lopata 103. Bring a resume and your questions for their university recruiter.
  • 1:00 PM - From Features to Flowers: An Introduction to ML and AI with PyTorch, a hands-on workshop from the WashU AI Club with Tyler Dinh and Noah Wolk. Train a model from scratch to classify flower species, then see why it works. No prior ML experience needed — bring a laptop. Lopata 101. RSVP here.
  • 2:30 PM - AI for Science, with Henric Krawczynski, Konneker Distinguished Professor of Physics and Chair of the Physics Department at WashU. How AI is changing research, and where computer science meets physics. Lopata 101. RSVP here.
  • 8:00 PM - Impromptu AI Pitch Challenge. Swap prompts with another team, 10 minutes to build, 3 minutes to pitch. Lopata gallery.

Sunday, September 27

  • 12:00 PM - Devpost submissions close.
  • 3:30 PM - Finalists announced.
  • 4:30 PM - Finalist presentations. Lopata 101.
  • 6:30 PM - Winners announced and closing ceremony. Lopata 101.

All times are Central Time. Meals, office hours and quiet work space run throughout the weekend; details go to registered participants.

What will you build?

Create an AI-powered application, tool, or experience. Start with a clear problem, keep your first version focused, and build something you can demonstrate. We want to see what you made, how it works, and what you learned along the way.

Requirements

What to submit

  1. A working AI-powered project. Submit a prototype, application, tool, or experience, with screenshots and a live demo, source-code repository, or other reviewable build materials.
  2. The problem and your solution. Explain who the project is for, the problem they face, and why your approach is useful.
  3. Your technology stack. List the AI models, APIs, datasets, libraries, frameworks, and other technologies you used.
  4. Your build story. Describe what you completed during the official build window, the challenges and surprises, what you learned, and what you would build next.
  5. Clear credits. Existing tools and open-source resources are welcome. Disclose them and clearly identify your team’s contribution.

Before you hit submit

Check that your page includes a clear title, problem and audience, solution, technology list, screenshots, demo or repository, and lessons learned.

Submission deadline: Sunday, September 27 at 12:00 PM Central Time.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

3 non-cash prizes
1st Prize
1 winner

iPhone Duo

2nd Prize
3 winners

AirPods Max · Apple Watch · Camera

3rd Prize
4 winners

Polaroid Camera · AirPods 4 · Gift Card · JBL Speaker

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Andrew Knight

Andrew Knight
Executive Director, George and Carol Bauer Leaders Academy; Professor of Organizational Behavior

Nate Scherer

Nate Scherer
Founder, Alon Technologies; WashU Class of 2027

Maritt Nowak

Maritt Nowak
Senior Project Manager, Digital Intelligence & Innovation Accelerator (DI2)

Alex Chen

Alex Chen
Assistant Professor of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis

Judging Criteria

  • Impact and Relevance
    How clearly the project addresses a meaningful problem and creates value for its intended users or community.
  • Technical Execution
    The quality, functionality, reliability, and appropriate use of AI, data, software, and technical tools in the working prototype.
  • Innovation and Creativity
    The originality of the idea, the creativity of the approach, and how thoughtfully the team uses AI to create a distinctive solution.
  • User Experience and Presentation
    How clearly the team communicates the problem, demonstrates the solution, and delivers an accessible and compelling experience for users and judges.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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