Welcome to Hacktech 2026!

April 24–26, 2026 · California Institute of Technology

🌐 Important Links (Start Here)

👉 Live Site (schedule, countdown, logistics):
https://hack.caltech.edu/live

👉 Discord (REQUIRED FOR ALL HACKERS):
https://discord.gg/J9k65XQm3f

⚠️ All participants must be verified in Discord to participate. DO NOT Register on Devpost unless you are VERIFIED in Discord.
We use Discord for everything — announcements, updates, logistics.
If you were not accepted, you will not be able to verify.
Every member of your team must complete this step.

🧠 Hacktech 2026

Hacktech is Caltech’s annual 36-hour hackathon. For one weekend, you get a room full of people who like building things and the time to actually do it.

We have a $50,000+ prize pool, great sponsors, and a mix of talks, workshops, and random late-night energy that makes everything feel a bit chaotic (in a good way).

You can build whatever you want, from serious AI systems, weird creative tools, security projects, or the kind of infrastructure that isn’t flashy but actually matters.

Build something real. Even if it’s not flashy.

🏆 Tracks
  • Best Use of AI
  • Cybersecurity / Safety
  • Creativity
  • “Not So Sexy” (infrastructure, logistics, systems)
🎯 Sponsored Challenges
  • YC x Hacktech — Reimagine a pre-2022 YC company with AI
  • Ironsite — Solve spatial reasoning problems
  • IFM (K2 Think V2) — Build with a reasoning-focused model
  • Sideshift — Build a strong consumer product
  • Palohouse — Projects closest to becoming a startup
  • Listen Labs — Simulate humans or societies

More details are in the Hacker Packet which can be found in the FAQ section of the Live Site, or in Discord #announcements channel.

⚖️ Judging

We look at:

  • Technical difficulty
  • Creativity
  • Impact
  • Execution

How it works:

Round 1 (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Science fair style. You’ll demo your project (~5 minutes) to assigned judges.

Round 2 (1:00 PM – 1:30 PM)
Top teams present to all judges (~3 minutes). Winners are decided after.

Winners are announced at the closing ceremony.

📅 Schedule

Full schedule and venue map:

https://hack.caltech.edu/live

📣 Final Notes
  • You must be in Discord to participate
  • Check the live site for updates
  • Bring your Photo ID (Drivers License or Passport) + Valid Student ID to check in

Requirements

📦 Submission Requirements
  • Submit your project on Devpost by 9:00 AM PDT Sunday
  • Include a description, VIDEO demo (UNLISTED or PUBLIC youtube URL), and code repository
  • Clearly explain what you built during the hackathon
  • Add all team members to your submission via Devpost and include their names in your README

Late submissions will not be accepted, and this year we can not make ANY exceptions for ANY reason.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$66,400+ in prizes
+ other prizes
Best Use of AI - Mac Mini with Apple M4 chip
$2,400 in cash
1 winner

1x Apple M4 chip, Built for Apple Intelligence, 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB Memory, 256GB SSD Storage for each member of the winning team

Cybersecurity/Safety - NuPhy Air 75 v3 Keyboard
$600 in cash
1 winner

1x NuPhy Air 75 v3 Keyboard for each member of the winning team

Best Creativity - Logitech MX MASTER 4 Mice
$500 in cash
1 winner

1x Logitech MX MASTER 4 for each member of the winning team

Bet "Not so sexy" - WHOOP 5.0 One Health and Fitness Tracker
$800 in cash
1 winner

1x WHOOP 5.0 One Health and Fitness Tracker for each member of the winning team

YC x HackTech - YC Interview
3 winners

YC x HackTech - Prize: YC Interview (1st), Partner Office Hours (2nd, 3rd)

​​https://events.ycombinator.com/yc-hacktech-2026

Ironsite x HackTech - Cash Prize
$17,500 in cash
1 winner

Pinpoint a key spatial task where current models fail. Create an innovative solution to solve the problem. Demo your technique. API Credits provided.

https://caltech.ironsite.ai/

IFM x Hacktech - Best Use of K2 Think V2
$1,600 in cash
1 winner

1x reMarkable 2 Paper Tablet for each member of the winning team
https://chat.whatsapp.com/KcLSzGS8M3kCXC6NM2bTT4?mode=gi_t

Sideshift x HackTech - Cash Prize + Interview
$4,000 in cash
5 winners

Sideshift x HackTech - Prize: $2k + work trial (1st), $1.25k + onsite (2nd), $750 + interview (3rd), interview (4th, 5th)

Palohouse x HackTech - 10-day stay @ Palo Alto Hackerhouse + $20k SAFE investment
$20,000 in cash
1 winner

Palohouse x HackTech - Prize: 10-day stay @ Palo Alto Hackerhouse + $20k SAFE investment
We want to find the project/team that’s closest to founding a company.

Listen Labs x HackTech: Simulate Humanity
$3,000 in cash
1 winner

Listen Labs x HackTech: Simulate Humanity - Prize: $3k + interview (internship or full time)
Build a simulation of humans or societies. Model how people think, argue, change their minds, and influence each other. More information at hacktech.listenlabs.ai.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Hacktech 2026 Judges

Hacktech 2026 Judges

Judging Criteria

  • Criteria
    See Hacker Packet!

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

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