The ucsb.network Hackathon is a 12-hour in-person hackathon for students building with AI.

On May 23rd, 2026, students will gather at the Loma Pelona Center from 9 AM to 9 PM to form teams, build projects, and demo what they create by the end of the day. The hackathon is open to students of all skill levels, whether you are an experienced developer, a designer, a founder, or someone trying a hackathon for the first time.

Participants will compete for a grand prize of $1,000 in AI credits. Projects can be built across any category, including AI agents, developer tools, productivity apps, climate tech, education, creative tools, consumer products, or anything else students are excited to make. 

Hosted by ucsb.network, the event is designed to bring together builders, engineers, designers, and startup-minded students for a focused day of building. The goal is to create a space where students can meet collaborators, experiment with new ideas, and leave with a working project.

No prior hackathon experience is required. Participants can come with a team or join one at the event.

 

Tentative Schedule

Saturday, May 23rd

9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Check-in and team formation

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Opening remarks and hackathon overview

10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Build time

1:00 PM
Lunch provided

4:00 PM
Optional mentor check-ins

7:00 PM
Dinner provided

9:00 PM
Final submissions due on Devpost

Sunday, May 24th

2:00 PM

Winners announced

Requirements

What to Build

Build an AI-powered project that solves a real problem, creates a useful tool, or explores a creative idea.

Your project can be in any category, including:

  • AI agents

  • Developer tools

  • Productivity apps

  • Education tools

  • Climate or sustainability tech

  • Creative tools

  • Consumer apps

  • Research tools

  • Hardware/software prototypes

  • Anything else

Projects should be built during the hackathon. You can come in with an idea, but the actual product, prototype, or demo should be created during the event.

 

What to Submit

Each team should submit their project on Devpost before the submission deadline.

Your submission should include:

  • Project name

  • Short description of what your project does

  • Longer explanation of the problem, solution, and how it works

  • Demo video or screen recording showing the project in action

  • Link to your GitHub repo, if applicable

  • Live demo link, if applicable

  • List of tools, APIs, models, or frameworks used

  • Team member names

  • What you built during the hackathon

  • Any challenges you ran into

  • What you would build next with more time

For judging, your demo should clearly show what the project does, how it uses AI, and why it matters.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

2 non-cash prizes
1st Place
1 winner

$1,000 in any AI credits of winning team's choice

$250
30 winners

$100-250 in AI credits for all participants who submit an eligible project

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Tanuj Siripurapu

Tanuj Siripurapu

Hursh Shah

Hursh Shah

Leon Khoshnevis

Leon Khoshnevis

Blake Canas

Blake Canas
Plumors

Judging Criteria

  • Production Readiness
    We are looking for projects that go beyond vibe-coding and are production-ready with UI/UX, proper security, database architecture allowing for scale, logical infrastructure setup, etc. We encourage participants to use MindFort to pentest their products.
  • Business Feasibility
    Could this actually work as a startup? Was some thought put into understanding the market and the GTM strategy?
  • Idea Creativity
    Is this something that has already been done before? Is there innovation in the idea, a different application of existing technology, or an entirely new vertical being created?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

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