NGN HacksJoin Discord ● AUGUST 7–9, 2026
ONLINE · PUBLIC · WORLDWIDE
A global high school hackathon bringing together the next generation of builders to create real-world solutions. Beginners are welcome.
2026
Friday noon to Sunday noon ET
Public · Worldwide
High school · Grades 9–12
No expert coding required
No fee to join
THE MISSION
Why NGN Hacks exists
NGN Hacks 2026 is a worldwide online hackathon for high school students in Grades 9–12 who want to build, learn, and create something meaningful with technology.
Beginners and experienced hackers are welcome. You do not need to be an expert coder to join. The goal is to learn, work with others, solve a real problem, and build a project you are proud of.
Gain real experience, improve your skills, and explore new tools with beginner-friendly support.
Solve a real problem and create a project you can add to your portfolio, resume, or university applications.
Meet other motivated high school students and compete individually or as part of a team.
The combined estimated value of prizes, licences, API credits, software subscriptions, and sponsor support exceeded $25,000 CAD. Much of this value was provided in-kind rather than as cash.
WHAT TO BUILD
Open-ended by design
Your project can be a website, app, AI tool, game, automation, hardware idea, prototype, design concept, or another digital solution.
Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗Solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
↗HOW IT WORKS
From zero to launch
Follow the official path from joining Devpost to submitting your finished project.
Join the official NGN Hacks 2026 event page.
Check official channels for updates and support.
Compete individually or form a team with other high school students.
Review eligibility, judging criteria, prizes, and submission requirements.
Start with a problem you want to solve for a specific group of people.
Create your original project between August 7 and August 9.
Publish a complete project page before August 9 at 12:00 PM EDT.
These organizer-confirmed workshops cover development, design, AI, automation, and STEM pathways. Dates will be posted in Discord.
Join the Discord ↗KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
August 7 · Eastern Time
Both keynote sessions take place on August 7, 2026. Times are shown in Eastern Time.
SPK_01 / MOZILLARaffi Krikorian is the Chief Technology Officer at Mozilla, where he leads the organization's global efforts to develop trustworthy, open-source AI and ensure the internet remains an open, accessible public resource.
Krikorian joined Mozilla in late 2025 after a rich career in technology, politics, and philanthropy, including previous roles as CTO of Emerson Collective, the first CTO of the Democratic National Committee, Head of Uber's Advanced Technologies Center, and Vice President of Platform Engineering at Twitter. He attended MIT and worked on Internet-0, an analogue to the Internet of Things.
Daniel Martinez is a 19-year-old YC-backed founder building the future of education and AI. He is the founder of VibeGrade, Units and TypeOS, has been featured by Forbes, and began building startups as a teenager after dropping out of high school at 17 to pursue entrepreneurship full-time.
SPK_02 / FOUNDEREvent access links will be available closer to the event.
The hackathon and Devpost submission period begin.
Project pages, demos, links, visuals, and team information are due on Devpost.
The judging panel begins reviewing eligible submissions.
The official judging period closes.
Results are scheduled to be announced after judging is complete.
THE JUDGING PANEL
12 experienced builders and leaders
Meet the professionals reviewing this year's projects. Profile photos are shown where available.
JUDGE 01Staff Software Engineer/Architect
JUDGE 02Lead Developer Intern @ GrowME.ai | AI/ML · Full Stack Developer | 2x Hackathon Winner | CS @ University of Toronto
JUDGE 03Software Engineer @ ScreenMeet | Senior Full Stack Engineer | React, Node.js, NestJS, Vue, AWS
JUDGE 04Staff Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Lucid Motors | Prev Senior DevOps Engineer @ Verizon
JUDGE 05Product Manager at Motorola Solutions | Duke University | Speaker & Women In STEM Advocate
JUDGE 06Senior iOS Engineer @ Lyft | IEEE Senior Member
JUDGE 07Staff Software Engineer at PayPal
JUDGE 08Lead Software Engineer at Caterpillar Inc.
JUDGE 09Founding Engineer at Giggles | $1.2M pre-seed funding led by 1kx
JUDGE 10Staff Performance Engineer, ServiceNow
JUDGE 11Software Engineer @ Microsoft
JUDGE 12AIML Engineer @ FIS
Your project must solve a problem or create value for a specific group of people.
Projects must be created during the hackathon period. Public libraries, APIs, templates, or open-source tools are allowed, but the main project idea and work must be your own.
Participants are responsible for making sure any tools, APIs, datasets, or resources they use are allowed, safe, and properly credited in their project submission.
Your submission should be clear enough that judges can understand what you built, why it matters, and how it works.
Make sure your project links are working before submitting. Late submissions may not be accepted.
The cash prize pool totals $562 USD. The combined estimated value of prizes, licences, API credits, software subscriptions, and sponsor support exceeded $25,000 CAD. Much of this value was provided in-kind rather than as cash.
$300 in Featherless AI credits + 1 Year of DevSwarm Pro
Awarded to the strongest overall project based on creativity, impact, technical quality, design, presentation, and completion.Siemens Package + 1 Year of DevSwarm Pro
Awarded to the second strongest overall project with a strong idea, clear execution, good design, and a useful solution.Gift card valued at $20 · Mastercard
Awarded to a project demonstrating solid execution, creativity, technical ability, thoughtful design, and a clear solution.How unique, interesting, and creative is the project idea? Judges will look for original thinking, creative problem-solving, and ideas that are not simple copies of existing tools.
How well does the project solve a real problem or help a specific group of people? Judges will look at who it is for, why the problem matters, and how useful it could be.
How well was the project built? Judges will look at the tools used, features included, effort shown, and how well the demo, prototype, or finished product works.
How clear, organized, and easy to use is the project? Judges will look at the layout, visuals, navigation, and overall experience.
How clearly does the team explain the project? Judges will review the Devpost description, demo video, screenshots, links, and the explanation of how and why it works.
How complete is the project by the deadline? It does not need to be perfect, but it should show clear progress, effort, and an understandable working demo or proof of concept.
After submissions close, eligible projects will be reviewed by the judges. Winners will be selected based on the judging criteria. Late, incomplete, or non-compliant projects may not be eligible for prizes, and the judges' decisions are final.
The build weekend is still ahead, but the registration window has ended.
Registration closed August 1 at 12:00 AM ET. Contact the team if you need help with an existing registration.
Contact the team ↗These participant resources are listed on the official Devpost resource page. Use any safe and appropriate technology that supports your project.
Open Devpost resources ↗General help for using Devpost.
↗RESOURCE 02Project pages, required fields, and publishing guidance.
↗RESOURCE 03Developer tools and learning offers for students.
↗RESOURCE 04Repositories, collaboration, and development workflows.
↗RESOURCE 05A browser-based environment for building and sharing projects.
↗RESOURCE 06Interface design, prototypes, and presentation visuals.
↗RESOURCE 07Design and presentation tools.
↗RESOURCE 08Tools for building with Google AI models.
↗RESOURCE 09Open models, datasets, and machine-learning tools.
↗RESOURCE 10Reference material for web technologies.
↗RESOURCE 11Beginner-friendly web development references.
↗RESOURCE 12Free coding lessons and project tutorials.
↗RESOURCE 13Video tutorials and demo hosting.
↗First hackathon? Start here. If something is still unclear, a real person will answer.
Ask us directly ↗A worldwide online hackathon for high school students in Grades 9–12 who want to build, learn, and create something meaningful with technology.
Students ages 14–18 in Grades 9–12 may participate. Companies and professional organizations are excluded, and standard country or territory exceptions apply.
No. Beginners and experienced hackers are welcome. Projects may use code, design, no-code tools, AI, hardware, or another appropriate technology.
Yes. NGN Hacks 2026 is an online, public, worldwide event running August 7–9, 2026.
Yes. You can compete individually or form a team, including with students from different schools, cities, or countries.
A website, app, AI tool, game, automation, hardware idea, prototype, design concept, or another digital solution that solves a problem or creates value.
Submit on the official NGN Hacks Devpost before the deadline. Make sure every project and demo link works; late submissions may not be accepted.
More details regarding workshop dates will be posted in the NGN Hacks Discord.
Event access links will be available closer to the event.
