Overview
Arbiter Hacks V1 is an online hackathon hosted on Devpost. It is billed as open innovation for all, and participants are invited to submit projects with potential impact and usability. The submission deadline is December 20, 2026 at 9:00pm PST, and late submissions are not judged. Announcements are shared through the organizers' Discord server.
Tracks
The hackathon runs two parallel tracks. You choose one when you register, or switch before the submission deadline, and you may submit to only one track.
- General Track: Build anything. Any language, any stack, and any idea are welcome. This track rewards technical ambition and execution regardless of subject.
- Theme Track, Rethinking Waste: Build something that helps people or systems reduce, sort, or recycle waste more effectively. Examples listed include a tool that identifies whether an item is recyclable, an app that routes food waste to donation, a hardware or vision system that sorts materials, and a dataset or model that improves recycling accuracy.
The tracks are judged separately, against separate rubrics, for separate prizes. A polished General submission and a high-impact Theme submission compete only within their own track.
Who can participate
The page lists eligibility for participants aged 13 and older. It also lists students as a participant group, and it excludes companies and professional organizations. Participation is open to all countries and territories, excluding standard exceptions. You can register as a team of 1 to 4 members or go solo.
Prizes
The hackathon offers $7,800 in prizes across both tracks.
- 1st Place General: $2,100 in cash, plus Adaption Credits ($1,000) and Deployxa Credits ($1,000).
- 1st Place Theme: $2,100 in cash, plus Adaption Credits ($1,000) and Deployxa Credits ($1,000).
- 2nd Place General: $1,550 in cash, plus Adaption Credits ($1,000) and Deployxa Credits ($500).
- 2nd Place Theme: $1,550 in cash, plus Adaption Credits ($1,000) and Deployxa Credits ($500).
- Participation Prize: $500 in cash, plus Adaption Credits ($500), with one winner listed.
Submission requirements
Every submission must include the following:
- A public code repository on GitHub, GitLab, or an equivalent platform.
- A demo video of 2 to 3 minutes showing the project working, uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo and linked in the submission.
- A written description covering what the project does, how it was built, and what would be done next.
Theme Track submissions also need one paragraph stating the specific waste problem targeted and how success would be measured. Judges check that the waste theme is central to the project and not bolted on. A missing repository or video makes a submission ineligible.
Judging criteria
General Track judging is weighted as follows: Technical Execution (35%), Innovation and Originality (25%), Completeness and Polish (25%), and Presentation and Demo Clarity (15%).
Theme Track judging is weighted as follows: Impact on Waste Problem (35%), Technical Execution (25%), Feasibility (20%), and Presentation and Demo Clarity (20%). Feasibility asks whether the solution could be deployed in the real world, where a working solution is valued over a clever one that cannot ship.
Judges
The page lists judges from several organizations, including Microsoft, U.S. Bank, Barclays, Crusoe, Amazon, Apple, PWC, AMD, Cockroach Labs, and others.
Questions
Participants with questions can email the hackathon manager. The page also invites participants to invite others to compete.
