Overview
STEMergent Hacks 2026 is a free, online student hackathon and ideathon. It challenges students to use STEM and technology to solve real problems in their schools, communities, and beyond. Projects should address a meaningful need affecting students, schools, nonprofits, communities, or another group with a clear need. Projects do not need to be highly technically complex to be competitive. The event is tagged with Low/No Code, Machine Learning/AI, and Social Good.
Who can participate
- Ages 13 and older.
- Students only.
- Companies and professional organizations are excluded.
- Open to all countries and territories, excluding standard exceptions.
Dates and deadline
- Start date: October 31, 2026.
- Submission deadline: November 16, 2026 at 3:30am UTC.
Pathways
Participants choose one of two pathways based on their experience level.
Ideathon Pathway: Design a creative, realistic technology solution without needing to fully build it. Focus on identifying an important problem, explaining your solution, and showing what it could look like through slides, mockups, or a prototype. A working prototype is not required.
Hackathon Pathway: Turn an idea into a functional project. Build a website, app, tool, device, or prototype that addresses a meaningful problem. Hackathon submissions are expected to demonstrate a working solution.
The event is suitable for first-time competitors as well as experienced hackathon participants.
What to submit
Submit through the competition platform before the deadline. A submission should include:
- Project title.
- Project description explaining the problem, the solution, and how it works.
- Pathway selection (Ideathon or Hackathon).
- Team details listing all members.
- Screenshots, GIFs, or other visuals where applicable.
- A demo video, recommended for Hackathon submissions and possibly required if the organizers specify.
- A code or prototype link where applicable.
- Disclosure of significant use of AI tools, APIs, datasets, libraries, or other third-party resources when requested.
All submissions must contain meaningful work created by the participants for this competition. Existing projects may be used as inspiration or a starting point, but resubmitting a previously completed project is not permitted.
Prizes
- STEMergent Developer Role/Intern: 4 non-cash prizes. The top 3 projects in the Hackathon Pathway receive invitations to become a developing intern at STEMergent, where they can keep building real websites and tools for nonprofits, businesses, and communities.
- More Prizes: To be announced soon, 1 winner.
- DeployXA: 6 winners across categories. For each category, 1st place receives $1,000 in Deployxa credits per team member, 2nd place receives $500 per team member, and 3rd place receives $250 per team member. Credits are valid for six months. All participants also receive $20 in Deployxa credits and free hosting through the event plus 90 days afterward.
- .XYZ Domain Name Prize: 10 winners each receive one free .xyz domain name for the first year.
Judges
- Ambily Pullela, Senior Data Analyst at Walmart
- Manjula Thummala, Senior Software Engineer at U.S. Bank
- Aishwarya Nair, Senior Data Engineer at Amazon
- Ujwal Vanjare, Software Engineer at BNSF Railway
Judging criteria
Ideathon Pathway:
- Innovation and originality
- Technical execution
- Impact and relevance
- Functionality and user experience
- Presentation and communication
Hackathon Pathway:
- Innovation and originality
- Problem definition
- Impact and relevance
- Feasibility and scalability
- Presentation and communication
Detailed rubrics for each pathway are linked on the event page.
Cost and questions
Participation is free. For questions, contact the hackathon manager by email through the event page.
