Schedule

Day 1:

9 AM - 10 AM : Check-In

9 AM - 10 AM : Sponsorship Fair

10 AM - 10:30 AM : Opening Ceremony

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM : Team Formation

11:00 AM : Competition begins

12:00 PM : Lunch

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM : Mentor Check-In

6:00 PM : Dinner

7:30 PM : Hackers leave for Day 1

Day 2:

9:00 AM : Breakfast

11:00 AM : Project Submissions Due

11:30 AM : Lunch

12:30 PM : Judging Starts

2:30 PM : Judging Ends

3:00 PM: Closing Ceremony

4:00 PM: Event ends

Requirements

What to Build

See track information in the WolfHacks portal

What to Submit

You must submit a project demo video no longer than 150 seconds and a GitHub repository

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

12 non-cash prizes

[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs

1 winner

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 Gemini API

1 winner

MLH 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 Solana

1 winner

SenseCAP Card Tracker

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

1 winner

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 Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry

1 winner

Digital Gift Card

GoDaddy Registry is giving you everything you need to be the best hacker no matter where you are. Register your domain name with GoDaddy Registry for a chance to win some amazing prizes!

Beginner Competition

1 winner

JBL Charge 6

General Competition

1 winner

Apple AirPods 5

Institute for Advanced Analytics Track

3 winners

1st -- Logitech G502 X Wired Gaming Mouse
2nd -- JBL Go 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
3rd -- HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 Core Gaming Headset 40mm Drivers

Center for Geospatial Analytics Track

3 winners

1st Place -- Amazon Echo Show 5
2nd Place -- Royal Kludge RK68 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
3rd Place -- Logitech G203 Wired Gaming Mouse

Applied AI IoT Hardware

3 winners

1st Place -- Acer 27in FHD 1920x1080 IPS 120Hz
2nd Place -- HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 50mm Drivers
3rd Place -- Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi Pico

Applied AI Databricks

3 winners

1st Place -- Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Camera
2nd Place -- ELEGOO UNO R3 Project Super Start Kit
3rd Place -- Anker Power Bank 10,000 mAh 30W

Applied AI Data Streaming Challenge

1 winner

Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet

Judges

Edgar Lobaton

Elise Hollowed

Judging Criteria

Track Goals
How well does the project address the problem statement and goals of the chosen track?
Technology
How technically impressive is the project? Consider the difficulty of the technical challenges, creative use of technology, and how effectively different components work together. Did the technology make you say "Wow"?
Design
How thoughtfully designed is the project for its intended users? Consider usability, interface design, accessibility, and the overall user experience.
Execution
Does the hack work? Consider how much of the proposed solution was actually implemented, reliability, and how effectively the team executed its idea.
IAA Track Goals
How effectively does the solution support students in managing their workload, preparing for exams, and understanding their academic progress.
IAA Track Impact
How useful is the project for its intended users? Consider whether the model's predictions and study recommendations provide actionable support that a student could realistically use.
IAA Track Modeling
How effectively did the team develop and evaluate its decision tree model? Consider data cleaning, testing on held-out data, recall, overfitting, and comparison against the baseline.
IAA Track Communication
How clearly does the team communicate its solution and technical approach? Consider the quality of the demo, visualizations, and plain-language explanation of the model's decisions.
IAA Track Responsible AI
How thoughtfully does the team address responsible AI? Consider whether limitations are acknowledged, privacy is protected, AI use is disclosed, and risk flags are presented in a way that supports rather than discourages students.
Applied AI Challenge Real-Time Data Integration
How effectively does project incorporate live sensor data into the existing app? Consider whether data is streamed in real time, how well it moves through the pipeline, and how well the solution handles the transition from raw sensor data to app data.
Applied AI Challenge Technical Implementation
How technically impressive is the real-time extension? Consider the difficulty of integrating IoT data, Databricks or other cloud technologies, and how well the components work together.
Applied AI Challenge Analytics & Insights
How effectively does the project turn streaming sensor data into meaningful analytics or insights? Consider whether real-time data enables functionality beyond a static dataset.
Applied AI Challenge Demo & Integration
How clearly does the team demonstrate the real-time functionality within its existing project? Consider whether the live data flow is visible, understandable, and meaningfully integrated.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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Duke Energy Hall, James Hunt Jr. Library	Public
12 non-cash prizes	109 participants