About STEVENS QUACKHACKS 2026
Stevens QuackHacks 2026 is the second iteration of our annual student-run hackathon!
This year, we have a weekend-long event designed to bring students together to build, connect, and grow. It’s an opportunity for participants of all experience levels to collaborate on creative technology projects while expanding their network and learning from one another. Whether you’re a first-time hacker or a seasoned builder, QuackHacks is about sharing ideas, gaining new skills, and pushing yourself in a supportive environment.
More than just a competition, QuackHacks emphasizes that everyone walks away with something valuable. Beyond the projects themselves, participants have the chance to meet driven, like-minded peers, connect with mentors and industry professionals, and form relationships that last well beyond the weekend.
- 24 Hours of project building
- Win exciting prizes
- Free swag
- Free Food and Drinks
- Workshops to learn skills
Code of Conduct
Stevens QuackHacks 2026 is run in accordance with the MLH Code of Conduct.
Requirements
Overview
Please complete your submission carefully and make sure it gives judges a clear understanding of both your project and your process.
We strongly recommend including a short demo video (2–3 minutes) showcasing your project in action. This helps judges review your work in case of technical issues, broken deployments, or setup complications. A recorded walkthrough ensures your project can be evaluated even if something doesn’t run perfectly during judging.
Including slides is also recommended. Slides make it easier for judges to quickly understand your problem, solution, technical architecture, and impact without needing to dig through your repository.
Each team may submit to only one of the four main tracks. However, you are welcome to select any applicable challenges or sponsor prizes in addition to your chosen track.
In your submission, go beyond simply listing features. Clearly explain:
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What problem you set out to solve
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Why that problem matters
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How you approached solving it
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Key technical decisions and tradeoffs
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What you learned throughout the process
Strong submissions communicate not just what was built, but the thinking, iteration, and growth that happened along the way.
Prizes
Grand Prize (Overall Best)
2 DJI Mini 4K Drones and 2 Meta Quest 3S 128GB VR Headsets
Mindfulness & Wellbeing Prize
Banana Duck Plush Toy per teammate and Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai per teammate
Mental Health, Medicine and technology: use your creativity to design solutions for mental health and improving the health of users.
Anti-AI Prize
Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Film Camera per teammate
Give a chance to software that is not focused on machine learning and generative technologies; your project should not be a GPT-wrapper.
Accessibility Prize
KN85 Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard per teammate and ACER Ergonomic Mouse Wireless per teammate
Design solutions that make tools, knowledge, and opportunities more accessible to everyone.
Gaming Prize
Lego Super Mario Game Boy per teammate and Cascadia Board Game per teammate
Anything from a game mod to entire strategy games with multiplayer servers, gamify your ideal world.
ADP Challenge Prize
ADP Branded Mini Sono Wireless Speaker per teammate
Build a full stack AI powered solution that helps sales teams remember and execute follow-ups effortlessly.
Chubb Challenge Prize
Chubb Merch Carepackage per teammate
Innovative solutions that can detect and prevent AI-generated fraud - identify when an image, video, or document has been manipulated or generated by AI.
Featherless.ai Challenge Prize
First Place - 300$ Featherless Scale Plan
Second Place - 150$ Featherless Scale Plan
Third Place - 75$ Featherless Scale Plan
Best and most creative application of featherless.ai.
Beginner Prize
Merkury Innovations Astronaut Galaxy Light Projector
For first-time hackers! Most creative and innovative solution :)
MLH - Best Use of Gemini API Prize
Google Swag Kits
Best Use of Gemini API.
MLH - Best Use of ElevenLabs Prize
Wireless Earbuds
Best Use of ElevenLabs.
MLH - Best Use of Solana Prize
Ledger Nano S Plus
Best Use of Solana.
MLH - Best Use of Presage Prize
Fitbit Inspire & Presage Perks
Best Use of Presage.
MLH - Best Use of DigitalOcean Prize
Retro Wireless Mouse
Best Use of DigitalOcean.
MLH - Best Use of Snowflake API Prize
M5Stack Tab5
Best Use of Snowflake API.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Professor Hill
Stevens Institute of Technology
Professor LaGrassa
Stevens Institute of Technology
Ananya Shrivastava
Stevens Institute of Technology
Humna Sultan
Stevens Institute of Technology
William Eiers
Stevens Institute of Technology
Aidan Ouckama
Stevens Institute of Technology
Pranav Goyal
Stevens Institute of Technology
Benicio Hernandez
Stevens Institute of Technology
Vinay Nayar
ADP
Sivanagaraju Gadiparthi
ADP
Swathy Purushothaman
ADP
Deep Parekh
ADP
Ashley DiFusco
Chubb
Judging Criteria
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Technical Impressiveness
Complexity, technical depth, and execution. -
Theme/Track Adherence
Alignment with the designated theme or sponsor track. -
Demonstrated Learning
Evidence of growth, exploration, or new skills developed during the event. -
Creativity
Originality, innovation, and uniqueness of the idea or approach.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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