Ticket to Hack is a free, 24-hour hackathon open to coders of all backgrounds and proficiencies. We aim to inspire all coders with a special focus on fostering a collaborative, innovative, and inclusive space for minorities in the CS field. Our Hackathon will be hosted from February 20th to 21st in Rice Hall, during which coders will form teams to develop creative solutions to game prompts. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks will be provided along with a variety of both technical and non-technical workshops for all participants. Hackers will have their projects be evaluated by a panel of judges and compete for a chance for a ticket to the prize booth!

Visit Our Website: https://ticket-to-hack.vercel.app/

Join Our Discord: https://discord.gg/c5K2sbZTg

FAQS

What is a Hackathon?

A hackathon is a collaborative programming event in which people work together to develop creative solutions to engineering-based problems, usually related to a specific theme or concept

Who can participate?

All college students, including first-time hackers, are welcome

Do I need to know how to code?

No prior programming experience is required. Ticket to Hack is a beginner-friendly hackathon!

How much does it cost to attend?

Ticket to Hack is FREE for all participants, thanks to your amazing sponsors! Participation includes free swag and food throughout the event

How many people can be on a team?

A team can have 1-4 members

What if I don't have a team?

Not to worry! You’ll meet people when you get there. Everybody’s very friendly. A lot of people go to hackathons without teams. So it’s perfectly normal to go around to people, tell them you’re looking for a team, and ask if you can help out. Hackathons will often run team-matching sessions at the start to help you meet people. To get a head start, join our discord to meet other hackers. PROTIP: Invite your friends to come to the hackathon too! That way you’re guaranteed to have at least one familiar face

Requirements

1. Your submission will be a youtube video submission accessible to anyone with a link (presentation or demonstration of what you've built: your face must be visible), and an in person science-fair style presentation will be required.

The video should be 2 minutes long. Submit the link to video through DevPost.

The science-fair style presentation will be held in person from approximately 10:30 AM-12:30 PM in Rice Hall 130 and Davis Common (open area across from Rice Hall).

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR JUDGING, YOU MUST SUBMIT A DRAFT SUBMISSION ON DEVPOST BY MIDNIGHT ON FEB 20. THIS IS NOT YOUR FINAL SUBMISSION AND IS EDITABLE.

2. You may not submit to other hackathons with the project you built at the 2026 Hackathon and vice versa.

3. You may not edit your code before hacking starts (February 20th), and you may not edit your code after hacking ends (February 21st).

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

1 non-cash prize

Ticket to Hack

1 winner

Ticket to Hack

Judges

TBD

Judging Criteria

Impact
Who or what will benefit from this project? We encourage people to contribute back to the communities that they are in and make it better.
Innovation
Get out there and explore new ways to get things done. After all, we want a better future, not a better past. Expand your horizons by doing something different rather than stick to what everyone else has done.
Technicality
We want to reward the hackers that demonstrate technical prowess when making their projects because the future needs a strong foundation.
Viability
How feasible is this project? Can it continue into the future far beyond our hackathon?