Dates

Applications Open: Now, Hacking Period: June 27th, 2026 — 12 hours 

Eligibility

CSI Hacks is open to all current high school students. Participants must be enrolled in a high school at the time of the event. No prior experience or technical background required — all skill levels are welcome. Teams can have up to 4 members. Individuals may register solo and find teammates at the event.

Project and Submission Requirements

• Projects must be built during the hacking period. Pre-existing work is not allowed.
• Teams may use open-source libraries, public APIs, and AI tools.
• Submissions must include: a GitHub repository with your code, a 2–3 minute demo video, and a written project description (what you built, the problem it solves, and the tech stack used).
• Projects must be original work created during the event.
• A live demo link is encouraged but not required.
• At least one team member must be present to pitch the project to judges.

Prizes

🏆 Prizes to be announced — stay tuned.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of judges across four criteria:

• Innovation — How original and creative is the idea? Does it approach a problem in a new way?
• Technical Execution — How well is the project built? Does it work as intended?
• Impact — Does the project solve a real problem? Who does it help?
• Presentation — How clearly does the team communicate what they built and why it matters?