About HackHERS 2026
HackHERS 2026 is a two-day, in-person hackathon hosted by Girls Who Code at Georgia State University. Students of all genders and experience levels are invited to collaborate, learn new skills, and build technology-driven solutions to real-world challenges.
Taking place September 18–19, 2026, at the Georgia State University Law Library, HackHERS will bring together more than 150 students for hands-on innovation, AI workshops, industry mentorship, team building, networking, and project demonstrations.
Participants will have opportunities to:
• Build an original project with a team
• Compete in challenge tracks, including the new HackGSU track
• Attend AI and technical workshops
• Receive guidance from industry and academic mentors
• Connect with sponsors, student organizations, and fellow innovators
• Present their projects to a panel of judges
• Compete for prizes and recognition
Beginners are strongly encouraged to participate. You do not need to arrive with a team or a completed project idea. Team formation and mentor introductions will take place during the event.
Requirements
Each team must submit one project through Devpost before the submission deadline. Only one team member needs to create the submission and add the remaining team members.
Your submission must include:
• Project name
• Short project tagline
• Selected HackHERS challenge track
• Description of the problem your project addresses
• Explanation of your solution and how it works
• Technologies, tools, APIs, or platforms used
• Plans or potential improvements for the project
• Link to the project’s code repository
• Link to a working application or prototype, if available
• A short demo video showing the project in action
• Names of all team members
Project rules
• The project must be created during the official HackHERS hacking period.
• The submission must represent the team’s own work.
• Late or incomplete submissions may not be eligible for judging.
Make sure all links are accessible to the judges before submitting.
Prizes
1st Place
Not disclosed
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
Google 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 ElevenLabs
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 Solana
Ledger Nano S Plus
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
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 Use of Presage
Fitbit Inspire & Presage Perks
Presage is pioneering the Human Sensing Layer, enabling any application to understand a person’s real-time physical and emotional state. With Presage, you can leverage clinically-proven vital signs, movement, emotion, and/or focus tracking to build a project that gives the standard camera super powers.
Use any of the Presage SDKs to integrate capabilities like real-time heart rate, breathing rate, engagement levels, and facial expressions into your hack with just a few lines of code.
Immersive Gaming & Entertainment: Dynamically change game difficulty or story elements based on a player's excitement or focus levels.
Contactless Wellness & Fitness: Build a non-invasive app that monitors stress, recovery, or fitness performance.
Accessibility & Security: Utilize vital signs for effortless authentication, or to enhance accessibility.
Productivity: Design a tool that tracks focus or stress.
Build your next hack with Presage and show us the future of human-computer interaction! Win awesome prizes along for with the following perks from the Presage team:
Free refills for Presage Development credits to accelerate you through your next three months of building
30% off all Presage usage charges for your first year after going live
[MLH] Best Use of Backboard
Tile Essentials Pack
Every AI model API is stateless by default. That means your app forgets everything the second a session ends. State management should be the first step of any AI build, regardless of what LLM you are using, and Backboard gives you that for free. But Backboard is not just state management. It is a single, unified API built on the world’s #1 AI memory that gives you everything you need in one place: long-term memory, RAG, embeddings, tool calls, model routing across 17,000+ LLMs, and persistent context that stays alive across every page refresh, session, and user. No stitching together five different services. One API. One integration. Built on the best memory in AI.
Here’s just a small list of things Backboard can make possible for your AI app!
AI-powered Travel Guide: Remembers allergies and preferences from past trips.
Personalized Fitness Coach: Adjusts workouts based on progress and injury history.
Smart Home Controller: Learns routines over time to anticipate lighting and climate preferences!
Use Backboard to build a seamless, persistent user experience without the usual infrastructure headache! Each winning team member will receive a Tiles Essentials Pack because, just like AI, we all need an occasional reminder of where things are!
[MLH] Best Use of Auth0
Wireless Headphones
Auth0 wants your applications to be secure! Why spend hours building features like social sign-in, Multi-Factor Authentication, and passwordless log-in when you can enable them through Auth0 straight out of the box? You can also secure your AI applications with Auth0 for AI Agents.
Auth0 is free to try, doesn’t require a credit card, and allows for up to 7,000 free active users and unlimited log-ins. Make your new account today and use any of the Auth0 APIs for a chance to win a pair of wireless headphones for you and each member of your team!
[MLH] Best .Tech Domain Name
Desktop Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years!
Make your Team’s Achievements timeless: Win a .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years to Showcase and Expand Your Project, Plus Desktop Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Athresh Guruprakash
Equifax
Charles Leon Huston
Georgia State University
Chunlan Gao
Georgia State University
Dr. Roya Hosseini
Georgia State University
Gaayathri Rayapanini
Truist
Gabi Tehrani
Southern Company
Hieu Minh Cao
LexisNexis Risk Solution
Kruthik Ravikanti
Georgia Institute of Technology
Sarah O'Brien
Southern Company
Drew Schillinger
Atlanta Tech Group
Khushi Mishra
Inter Continental
Vik Bhatia
Brookhaven
Jayakumar Ramalingam
Staff Software Engineer
MD Raiyan Haque
Cox Communications
Judging Criteria
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Innovation & Originality
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Impact & Relevance
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Feasibility
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Technical Execution
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User Experience
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Presentation & Demo
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Invite others to compete
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