About the challenge

Over the course of 24 hours, participants will come together to brainstorm, design, and build projects that tackle real-world problems while exploring new technologies. Whether you’re coding your first website, diving into AI, or experimenting with design, GirlHacks provides the tools, mentorship, and support to bring your ideas to life.

What makes GirlHacks special is our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive space where hackers of all experience levels can learn and grow. With beginner-friendly workshops, supportive mentors, and plenty of opportunities to connect with peers and industry professionals, you’ll leave with new skills, new friends, and a project you’re proud of.

Requirements

What to Build

You’re free to create anything you like at GirlHacks 2026! Alternatively, you can choose to build a project that aligns with one of the sponsor categories or tracks. 

What to Submit

Please submit your relevant project materials, including your GitHub repository, through Devpost by the deadline. You may include a 2-3 minute demo video of your project, but it is optional. All teams must present their projects in person during the judging session, so ensure that at least one team representative is present at the location during that time.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

13 non-cash prizes
First Place
1 winner

Each member of the top-performing team will take home a set of Air Pods Pro 3. Elevate your hack and claim the top spot!

Second Place
1 winner

Impress the judges and secure a Fujifilm Instant Camera for each member of your team!

Third Place
1 winner

Don’t miss your chance to snag a Mechanical Keyboard, awarded to each member of the third-place team.

Best Beginner Hack
1 winner

PRIZE: Anker Bluetooth Speaker
New to hacking? You’re in luck! Teams with at least 50% first-time hackers can win one for every member!

Best Diversity Hack
1 winner

PRIZE: Mouse
Teams where at least 75% of the members identify as women or non-binary in tech will have a chance to win one for every member!

Best Enchanted Grove Vibes Hack
1 winner

PRIZE: Enchanted Grove Lamp
Dive into our Enchanted Grove theme for a chance to win! Each member of the winning team will receive one.

Best Use of Azure by Avanade
1 winner

PRIZE: Avanade Backpack with goodies
Venture through Microsoft Azure and cultivate a groundbreaking solution. The most impactful and innovative use of Azure wins Avanade's Heart of the Grove rewards.

AI for the Modern Enterprise by ADP
1 winner

PRIZE: Amazon Echo
Build an AI solution that turns messy enterprise conversations, meetings, and documents into actionable insights and next steps so nothing important is lost.

[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
1 winner

Wireless Earbuds
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 some wireless earbuds!

[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
1 winner

MLH Swag Kits
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?

[MLH] Best Use of Solana
1 winner

SenseCAP Card Tracker
The world of development is evolving fast and Solana is leading the charge with a network built to handle all of your infrastructure needs. Forget high fees and slow confirmations, it’s time to build applications that are fast, efficient, and scalable.

Harness Solana’s core advantages like blazing fast execution and near-zero transaction costs to make your hackathon ideas become real world projects. With Solana, the possibilities are endless.

Create a game, social app, or consumer product that relies on instant, high-frequency transactions.
Design a sophisticated trading, lending, or decentralized exchange (DEX).
Build a prototype for supply chain, identity, or payments that can handle massive, real-world volume.
Show us how you can innovate with Solana for a chance to win some cool prizes for you and each member of your team!

[MLH] Best Use of Tiger Data
1 winner

Stream Deck Mini
Building high-performance apps under hackathon deadlines shouldn't mean spending half your weekend configuring complex databases or learning obscure query languages. Tiger Data extends PostgreSQL to give student developers an ultra-fast foundation for real-time data, time-series metrics, and complex analytics.

Why build with Tiger Data this weekend?

Standard SQL Power: Query massive datasets instantly using the SQL you already know, with no complex NoSQL aggregation pipelines required.

Unified Data Stack: Store relational user profiles and high-frequency metric streams side-by-side in a single database.

Instant Dashboards: Serve lag-free, real-time frontend charts using pre-computed Continuous Aggregates.

90%+ Data Compression: Store millions of events on free-tier cloud instances without running out of disk space.

Whether you’re building real-time IoT monitoring, AI-driven analytics dashboards, or financial prediction engines, show us how Tiger Data powers your project. The team that demonstrates the most innovative, impactful, and performance-driven use of Tiger Data will take home some great prizes!

[MLH] Best Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry
1 winner

Digital Gift Card
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!

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Andrew Gykobo

Andrew Gykobo
Industry Professional | Coastal Edge Systems

Yash Shah

Yash Shah
Founder & CEO | Avarieux Inc.

Mengjia Xu

Mengjia Xu
Professor | Data Science

Lei Zhang

Lei Zhang
Assistant Professor | Informatics

Keita Ohshiro

Keita Ohshiro
University Lecturer | Informatics

Matt Toegel

Matt Toegel
Professor | Informatics

Jaini Bhavsar

Jaini Bhavsar
Professor | Data Science

Shuai Zhang

Shuai Zhang
Assistant Professor | Data Science

Mahender Mangalasri

Mahender Mangalasri
Architect, Application Security | Cognizant

Wen He

Wen He
Postdoctoral Researcher | Center for Solar & Terrestrial Research

Adam Spryszynski

Adam Spryszynski
University Lecturer | Informatics

Karl Giannoglou

Karl Giannoglou
University Lecturer | Informatics

Rosemina Vohra

Rosemina Vohra
Senior University Lecturer | Informatics

Bharat Lohiya

Bharat Lohiya
Vice President of Technology | Barclays Investment Bank

Omar Woodruff

Omar Woodruff
University Lecturer | Informatics

Alice Woodruff

Alice Woodruff
Senior Software Engineer | Risepoint

Pantelis Monogioudis

Pantelis Monogioudis
Professor | Data Science

Thomas Licciardello

Thomas Licciardello
University Lecturer | Informatics

Pradeep Vontisubramanyam

Pradeep Vontisubramanyam
Head of Data Analytics and AI | Reckitt

Kamlesh Naik

Kamlesh Naik
University Lecturer | Computer Science

DJ Kehoe

DJ Kehoe
Senior University Lecturer | Informatics

Jennifer Farley

Jennifer Farley
University Lecturer | Informatics

Keith Williams

Keith Williams
Senior University Lecturer | Informatics

Judging Criteria

  • 1. Creativity and Innovation
    How unique and original is the idea, and how effectively does it address a specific problem, even if it's simple?
  • 2. Design and UX
    How easy is it to navigate the user interface, and how effectively does the visual design support the overall function of the project?
  • 3. Functionality and Implementation
    Does the project function as intended, and does it meet the objectives outlined by the team, considering any constraints?
  • 4. Value and Impact
    How could this project help or benefit others, and what is its potential for scalability and broader application?
  • 5. Presentation and Demo Quality
    How effectively does the team explain their project, engage the audience, and showcase their work during the presentation?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

Ancient Oak
Elder Redwood
Ironwood
Silver Birch
In Kind

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