• aihackathon@usaii.org

From Registration to Showcase

Students begin by registering, then form teams, complete a short readiness qualifier, build during their track window, submit on Devpost, and wait for judging and awards.

Six-step version:

  • Pre-Register to stay informed
  • Register for the hackathon
  • Form a team of 2–5 or join solo and find teammates
  • Complete the Readiness Qualifier
  • Build and submit your solution through Devpost
  • Celebrate the finalists and winners

Learn from industry leaders talks on relevant topics, get guidance from experienced mentors, and present your ideas to expert judges.

From Registration to Showcase

Devpost and Discord

Devpost & Discord: Official Hackathon Platforms

Devpost is where teams register, form teams, submit projects, and move through judging. If you are planning to participate, this is where your official team record and final submission will live.

What students do on Devpost:

  • Create or join a team
  • Review challenge materials
  • Submit project details
  • Upload demo links or videos
  • Track official deadlines

What students do on Discord:

  • Receive announcements and updates
  • Ask questions and get help from mentors
  • Connect with other participants
  • Join discussions and community channels

Qualifier

Prove You’re Ready: Hackathon Readiness Qualifier

To keep the hackathon fair and high-quality, all teams will complete a short AI Readiness Qualifier before the event. Teams respond to a brief scenario by describing the problem, users, AI approach, and any ethical considerations.

The qualifier takes about 30 minutes and does not require building anything—just thoughtful responses. Teams are evaluated using a structured rubric, and those selected to advance will be notified by email shortly after the qualifier closes.

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Student Guide

Everything You Need Before Build Week

The Student Guide brings together the practical details students need to participate with confidence: platforms, submission requirements, challenge structure, expectations for teamwork, and what to prepare before kickoff.

Download Student Guide
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Rules and Guidelines

The hackathon uses a small set of platforms to keep participation simple and accessible worldwide. Devpost is the official platform for registration, team formation, project submissions, and judging. Discord is used for announcements, mentor communication, and community discussion. Opening sessions and the awards ceremony will be streamed live, with recordings available so participants across time zones can watch asynchronously.

You do not need advanced coding experience to participate in the hackathon. Many teams build successful projects using a mix of AI tools, APIs, and no-code or low-code platforms. Tools for building chatbots, automations, dashboards, or prototypes can help you quickly demonstrate your idea. Choose tools that help you clearly show how your AI solution works rather than focusing on building complex infrastructure.

Each team will submit their project through Devpost. Submissions include a project description, a responsible AI statement, and a short explanation of how the AI system works, along with disclosure of tools, data sources, and any AI assistance used in development. Teams must also provide a prototype or demo (such as a chatbot, workflow, app mockup, simulation, or decision-support model) and a 3–5 minute demo video explaining the solution.

Students participate in teams of 2–5 members, reflecting real-world collaboration. Teams may include participants from different schools or countries, but must compete in the track aligned with the highest education level represented on the team. Projects must be created during the hackathon window and must use public, synthetic, or responsibly simulated data rather than private or sensitive datasets.

Mentors are available to support teams throughout the event by helping with problem framing, AI design decisions, tradeoffs, and presentation advice. Mentors guide thinking and provide feedback, but they do not build, code, or complete work for teams. Support is provided through scheduled mentor sessions, office hours, and discussion channels.

Responsible AI is a core part of the hackathon. Each team must identify at least one realistic risk related to their AI system—such as bias, misinformation, misuse, or over-reliance—and explain how their design helps reduce that risk. Teams must also show where human judgment remains involved rather than allowing the AI system to make all decisions automatically.

Your demo should clearly show how the system works and why it matters. Focus on the user problem, how the AI solution helps, and what decision or action becomes easier because your tool exists. The strongest demos walk judges through the workflow—from input to AI processing to output—and show how the solution could realistically be used in the real world.

Projects are evaluated using a structured rubric designed to reward clear thinking, meaningful impact, and responsible AI design. Judges will assess how well teams understand the problem and user, whether AI is applied thoughtfully, how clearly the solution is designed, and the real-world value the project creates. Teams are also expected to identify risks and demonstrate responsible AI practices in their design.

Teams are encouraged to build a working prototype that demonstrates how their AI solution would function in the real world. This could include a chatbot, AI assistant, workflow automation, dashboard, web or mobile prototype, simulation tool, or decision-support system. The goal is not to build a fully finished product, but to create a clear and convincing demonstration of how your idea works and why it matters.

The goal of a hackathon project is not to build a perfect product, but to demonstrate a clear and thoughtful solution to a real problem. The strongest projects clearly explain the problem, show how AI helps solve it, and demonstrate the idea through a simple prototype or workflow.

Teams may use a wide range of tools to build their solutions, including open-source models, commercial AI tools, APIs, and no-code or low-code AI platforms. Free-tier tools are sufficient for this hackathon, and teams should choose tools that help them demonstrate their idea clearly. All teams must disclose the tools and AI systems used when submitting their project.

Teams should use data that is safe, accessible, and appropriate for experimentation. Acceptable sources include public datasets, synthetic data, responsibly simulated data, or user-generated test inputs. Teams should avoid using private, personal, or sensitive information and must clearly disclose the data sources used in their solution.

Once projects are submitted through Devpost, they move through several judging rounds designed for fairness and scale. Initial screening may include automated review, followed by evaluation from industry judges who assess projects using the official rubric.

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