Best High School Project
Description
Best project submitted by a team of 3 or more high school students. This category looks for strong technical ambition, clean code implementation, and a clear understanding of the technologies used, relative to their experience level. High scores (4-5) are for projects that show effective teamwork and a polished final product despite time constraints.
JBL GO 3

Best Beginner Project
Description
The best project submitted by a team where over 50% of your team are first-time hackathon participants (2 of a 3 person team or 3 of a 4 person team). This award prioritizes successful completion of the core idea and evidence of significant learning. High scores (4-5) are awarded for projects that demonstrate a clear transition from a starting idea to a working prototype and successful implementation of foundational technical concepts, where complexity is secondary to execution and learning gained.
Air Fryer

Best Hardware Hack
Description
Best project that makes an innovative use of hardware. Projects are judged on the novelty and cleverness of the hardware component's integration with software. High scores (4-5) are reserved for solutions that clearly demonstrate the hardware is essential to the project's function, provide a robust proof of concept, and show thoughtful design in how the physical and digital elements communicate.
Raspberry PI

Hacker’s Choice Award
Description
The project with the most hearts on Devpost. This award is determined purely by popular vote (Devpost 'hearts') and is not rated 1-5 by judges. Projects are typically favored if they are highly visually engaging, innovative, or solve a widely relatable problem.
Instax Mini 11

Most Creative UI/UX
Description
Most creative, interesting, or beautiful UI/UX that delivers a quality experience for the user. This award is judged on aesthetic appeal, intuitive navigation, and overall user flow. High scores (4-5) are reserved for projects that go beyond basic functionality to provide a truly delightful and accessible experience, featuring unique visual designs and seamless interaction patterns.
3d ink pen

