Project Rules

All code for your project must be written during the official Hackhive 2026 hacking period.

All design assets (e.g., UI designs, graphics) must also be created during the hacking period.

Projects must be submitted on the official Hackhive 2026 Devpost page before the submission deadline to be eligible for judging and demos.

Installing required software, frameworks, or development tools before the event is allowed and encouraged.

High-level ideation and planning before the event is allowed.

For hardware projects:

3D-printing parts or preparing structural components in advance is allowed.

Pre-assembly of hardware components is not permitted.

For AI/ML projects:

Collecting datasets in advance is allowed.

Training models before the event is not permitted.

Plagiarism of any kind will result in immediate disqualification.

You may use publicly available libraries, APIs, frameworks, and design assets.

Please build responsibly and with integrity. Final interpretation of all rules is at the discretion of the Hackhive 2026 organizers, and violations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Submission Rules

Projects may not be submitted to multiple hackathons.

Submissions must include all relevant source code and design assets created during Hackhive 2026 (e.g., a GitHub repository link).

Teams who wish to be considered for tracks must opt in on their Devpost submission.

You may submit your project to a maximum of 2 tracks (Not including Azure Track or MLH affiliated tracks).

A full list of tracks and prizes are available on the Hackhive 2026 Devpost page.

Judging Rules

Teams must be present in their assigned judging room at the scheduled time. Late or absent teams may forfeit judging.

Each team will have 7 minutes total to present to judges, which inludes:

  • 3 minutes demo
  • 1.5 minutes Q&A
  • 1.5 minutes notes/evaluation
  • 1 minute setup/teardown

Judges may ask questions or provide feedback at their discretion.

Presentations should focus on a live demo, not slideshows or marketing-style pitches.

 

All participants and attendees are required to follow the MLH Code of Conduct.

Our hackathon is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment and harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of the following:

  • gender
  • gender identity and expression
  • age
  • sexual orientation
  • disability
  • physical appearance
  • body size
  • race
  • ethnicity
  • nationality
  • religion
  • political views
  • previous hackathon attendance or lack of
  • computing experience or lack of
  • chosen programming language or tech stack

We do not tolerate harassment of hackathon participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate at any hackathon venue, this includes the following.

  • hacks
  • talks, presentations, or demos
  • workshops
  • any parties associated to the hackathon
  • social media
  • any other online media

Hackathon participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the hackathon at the discretion of the hackathon organisers.