LA Hacks is the largest student-run hackathon in Southern California, welcoming around 1000 participants each year to create innovative solutions to modern problems. This year, we celebrate our 10th year hosting hackers who push technological boundaries by creating trailblazing projects that showcase their skills and innovative thinking.

This year’s theme, Off the Grid, emphasizes the fun and adventurous spirit found in summer camps where all hackers can come together and find joy in developing innovative and clever projects. We don’t mean turn off all your devices and disconnect; in fact, we want you to do the opposite!

With inspiring panels, engaging workshops, and huge prizes, LA Hacks aims to be an exciting retreat for hackers to express their skills and creativity. Join us either online or in person for 36 hours from April 15-17, 2022. We'll see you there!

Requirements

STEP 1: create your Devpost submission on the LA Hacks Devpost before 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 17th! All submissions must include a <2 minute demo video for judging purposes. You may continue working on and editing your Devpost submission until 10:00 a.m.

STEP 2: after creating a Devpost submission, all teams must also fill out the following Google Form https://lahacks.com/link/projectsubmission in order to be considered for judging.

On your Devpost submission you may submit your project to as many tracks or sponsor prizes as you would like, provided you think your project is applicable to that track/sponsor prize; we will review your project for each track you apply to, and Sponsors will also review your project for each sponsor prize you submit your project to.

Projects without a demo video will not be judged. These videos will be shown to our judges and if your project ends up being among our top five projects, your team will be invited to present in the final round of judging in front of our guest judges (see more in the Final Round Presentations section). All virtual hackers will be automatically entered in the best video demo competition, and in-person hackers will have the opportunity to enter the best live demo competition by presenting in front of LA Hacks judges.

Please reference the Judging Criteria for what your demo should contain.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$9,230 in prizes
Cryptocurrency logo Prizes paid in cryptocurrency

LA Hacks Grand Prize

1x Gotrax GXL V2 Commuting Electric Scooter for each team member

LA Hacks 2nd Place

1x ASUS VG248QG 24" 165Hz G-Sync Gaming Monitor for each team member

LA Hacks 3rd Place

1x Keurig K-Slim Coffee Maker for each team member

LA Hacks Best Getaway Hack

1x Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera for each team member
1x Sketch license for each team member

Sponsored by Dunmor

LA Hacks Best Life Hacks Hack

1x COSORI Air Fryer Oven Combo for each team member
1x PIM559 PicoSystem Programmable Handheld Gaming Console for each team member

Sponsored by Digi-Key Electronics

LA Hacks Best World Wide Wellness Hack

1x Fitbit Luxe for each team member
1x Sublime Text license for each team member

Sponsored by Leap Theory

[1st Place] BlackRock Challenge

1x Keychron K2 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard + BlackRock swag for each team member

[1st Place] People Data Labs Challenge

$500 Visa gift card for winning team

Best Domain Name from Domain.com

1x PowerSquare Qi Wireless Phone Charger for each team member

Best Use of Google Cloud

1x Google Cloud Swag Bag or Backpack for each team member

Best Use of MATLAB

1x MathWorks Swag Bag for each team member

Most Creative Use of Twilio

1x Twilio Swag Box for each team member
1x GameGo Console for each team member

Ankr Most Creative
Cryptocurrency logo

600 USDC

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

LA Hacks

LA Hacks
LA Hacks

Judging Criteria

  • Originality
    Inspire innovation in the next generation of students. Does it do something entirely novel, or at least take a fresh approach to an old problem? This category will be based solely on the idea.
  • Impact/Usefulness
    Impact lies in our hackathon’s roots. We look for hacks that have large social impact. Is the hack impactful? Does it fulfill a real need people have? This category will be based solely on the idea.
  • Feasibility/Practicality
    At LA Hacks, we look for new and original ideas. We want hackers to think outside the box, but we also want the ideas to be somewhat practical. Is this project feasible and practical in the next 3-5 years? This category will be based solely on the idea.
  • Technical Difficulty
    Is the hack technically interesting or difficult to develop? Is it a simple API mashup or is it a comprehensive effort that leverages advanced architecture, tough algorithms, and various libraries and languages?
  • Polish/Design
    Clean and seamless hacks are hard to come by. Is the hack usable in its current state? Does everything appear to work as intended? Does it deliver a beautiful experience? Is it mostly bug-free?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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