About the challenge

CentennialHacks is a 12-hour hackathon organized by the IEEE Centennial College Student Branch, bringing together students for a day of building, learning, and collaborating. Taking place on August 15th, 2026 at Centennial College's Progress Campus, this event welcomes 50 hackers to form teams, tackle real problems, and ship a working project in one day.

Whether you're new to hackathons or a returning builder, CentennialHacks is designed to be approachable and hands-on, with mentors on-site to help you get unstuck and a judging panel excited to see what you create.

Get started

Hacking kicks off at 11:00 AM after check-in, team formation, and an opening ceremony. You'll have until 6:00 PM to build, with breakfast, lunch, and snacks provided throughout the day. Hacking in a team is preferred; all participants must be in a group of 2-4, but hacking solo is fine too (team-matching support is available at check-in if you don't have one yet). Bring a valid photo ID and proof of enrollment (e.g., student card, semester schedule, or enrollment confirmation), along with your laptop and charger, and come ready to build.

Register here: https://events.mlh.com/events/14426-centennialhacks

Requirements

What to Build

The problem statement will be revealed during the Opening Ceremony. Build your project around that theme during the hacking period. A team submission of 2-4 people is preferred, but solo is fine too, and there's no restriction on tech stack, so use whatever tools help you bring your idea to life fastest.

All code must be written during the event (pre-existing open-source libraries and boilerplate starters are fine), but the implementation itself has to happen at CentennialHacks. If you bring a pre-existing idea, that's fine too, as long as the build happens on-site. If you use any pre-existing code, assets, or open-source libraries, clearly disclose what was reused versus what you built during the hackathon in your submission. AI tools are permitted, but teams must disclose their usage in their submission.

Only submit your own work. Projects that are plagiarized, purchased, or not created by your team will be disqualified.

What to Submit

Entries are only considered if submitted via Devpost before the announced closing time. A draft submission is required by 4:00 PM on Saturday, August 15th.

All teams must submit:

  • A public GitHub repository showcasing all the code used for your project
  • A video submission with a short demo of your project (optional)
  • A project description (we also recommend an extensive writeup covering your process, the challenges you faced, and the technologies you used)

Hackers will pitch in person to live judges during the designated judging period. If your submission doesn't follow these requirements, it won't be considered for judging.

All participants must meet the age, student status, and/or geographic restrictions defined for this event; check the registration page for specifics. Organizers aren't responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal belongings, so please keep track of your laptop, charger, and personal items throughout the event.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

4 non-cash prizes
1st place overall
1 winner

iClever BK10 Bluetooth Keyboard (4x prizes)

2nd place overall
1 winner

NXRE 71" Extendable Phone & Camera Tripod Stand (4x prizes)

3rd place overall
1 winner

$20 Tim Hortons gift card (4x prizes)

MLH Best Use of Gemini
1 winner

$50 USD digital gift card (4x prizes)

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

CentennialHacks Judges

CentennialHacks Judges

Judging Criteria

  • Technical
    How challenging was the build? How well do the different technologies work together, and how effectively are they implemented? Was building this actually necessary, or could an existing tool have solved it just as well?
  • Design
    Have the developers taken user experience into account? Is the interface intuitive, clean, and well-designed? Does the design make the project easier and more enjoyable to use?
  • Innovation
    Focuses on the uniqueness of the project and its application to the chosen track. Judges look for creative applications of technology and whether the idea is truly "brand new."
  • Impact
    Each project should have a major real-world impact on a field or community of interest. This assesses what that impact is, and the depth of the pain point being addressed.
  • Pitch Quality
    How clearly and effectively does the team communicate what they built, why it matters, and how it works during their presentation?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

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