Hackathon.
Short, intense build sessions — 24 hours to a weekend — usually free, beginner-friendly, and great for building a portfolio fast.
59 verified programs.
36 Hours to Save the World / Global Challenge Weekend
Students form remote teams and spend 36 hours developing solutions to global sustainability and policy challenges before presenting to judges.
AI Hackfest
AI focused Hackfest. Digital format.
Bit Hacks
Hackathon in Irvine, California.
Bitcamp 2025
Hackathon in College Park, Maryland.
Blueprint by HackMIT
Annual learnathon and hackathon for HS students at MIT.
CruzHacks
Hackathon event.
DesignVerse at UCR
Hackathon in Riverside, California.
DiamondHacks
Hackathon event.
FastForge Hackathon
High-school teams research a real-world problem, identify innovation opportunities, design a consumer-product concept, and pitch their work to judges. The 2026 event is scheduled for November 6.
Global Hack Week: API Week
Global Hack Week focused on API development. Digital format.
Global Hack Week: Open Source Week
Global Hack Week focused on Open Source. Digital format.
Hack Club
Free worldwide network of student-run high school coding clubs and hackathons. Travel grants for in-person events.
Hack Club Daydream
100 high school game jams in 100 cities around the world, all on the same weekend.
Hack Club Outernet & Events
Network of student-run coding clubs and hackathons.
Hackabull
DIVERSITY focused hackathon in Tampa, Florida.
HackDartmouth X
Hackathon in Hanover, New Hampshire.
HackDavis 2025
Hackathon in Davis, California.
HackHarvard
Harvard's flagship hackathon; high schoolers can apply.
HackJA
A student-led, 24-hour hackathon for grades 7-12 where teams of beginner-to-advanced coders tackle computer-science challenges (IoT, cloud, social good) with mentorship from corporate and college professionals; no prior coding experience required.
HackKU
Hackathon event.
HACKMESA
DIVERSITY focused hackathon in Los Angeles, CA.
HackMIT
Annual 24-hour student hackathon at MIT; many HS students attend HackMIT High School Hackathon (Blueprint).
HackPSU
Hackathon event.
Hacktech by Caltech
Hackathon in Pasadena, CA.
HackTJ (Student-Run High School Hackathon)
A 24-hour student-run hackathon where high school students team up (2-4 per team) to build projects, with workshops, mentors and prizes in categories such as Best AI/ML Hack and Best Cyber Technology Hack.
HackUSU
USU's flagship 24-hour innovation challenge and coding competition where teams build solutions with mentor support and workshops, regardless of prior experience. High school students are welcome.
HackUTD 2026: Zero Day
A free in-person university hackathon at UT Dallas welcoming any enrolled student, including high schoolers aged 18+ or younger students attending with a guardian. No major or prior experience is required.
Horizons
7 hackathons in 7 countries. You're invited - for free!
ImmerseGT
Hackathon event.
Jame Gam
A community of teenagers who enter game jams together. Build a game, get prizes.
JAMHacks 9
HIGH SCHOOL DIVERSITY hackathon.
LA Hacks
Hackathon in Los Angeles, California.
LexHack
A free, in-person hackathon at Lexington Community Center where high school students form teams to build software projects around a yearly theme over two Saturdays and a remote build week.
Los Altos Hacks
HIGH SCHOOL hackathon.
Macondo
Get up to $1,000 for hardware projects or make software projects to earn fruits for prizes like sweets, gadgets, or a trip to a hackathon in Bogotá, Colombia, this August.
Major League Hacking (MLH) Digital Events
MLH partners with dozens of online student-led hackathons throughout the year accessible to any student with an internet connection.
Major League Hacking High School Hackathons
Calendar of student hackathons; many high school-friendly.
Major League Hacking Local Hack Day
Free worldwide student hackathons run by MLH. Beginner-friendly tracks.
MariHacks
HIGH SCHOOL hackathon.
MasseyHacks
HIGH SCHOOL DIVERSITY hackathon.
MDBA Youth Blockchain Hackathon
A fully virtual hackathon for grades 10-12 with an AI & Machine Learning track (building decentralized data meshes and AI verification protocols) alongside blockchain and legal-tech tracks, judged with bounty prizes up to $25,000.
MIT BeaverWorks BWSI Hackathon
Free open hackathons run by MIT BeaverWorks alongside BWSI summer program.
MLH Member Hackathons
A season of student-run hackathons across the world where students build software/hardware.
MorganHacks
DIVERSITY focused hackathon in Baltimore, Maryland.
NextGen AI Innovation Challenge
A two-day build event where middle school, high school, and college students design AI-powered tools to make K-12 classrooms more inclusive and engaging, with winning teams earning up to $2,500.
Northland Hackathon
Billed as the Midwest's largest free student hackathon, this one-day remote event has Minnesota high school and college students build web and app projects in teams over seven hours with mentorship from engineers at companies like Google, Amazon, and Square. No coding prerequisites are required.
Outpost
4-day hardware hackathon, followed by exhibiting at Open Sauce! Get up to 1000 USD to build hardware projects to get invited.
PennApps
One of the oldest college hackathons; HS-track sometimes available. Travel stipends offered.
Radish Jam
No entry fee. Full creative control. A global software jam for teens.
SFHacks 2025
Diversity focused hackathon event.
sharkHack
Diversity focused hackathon event.
Slopes Hackathon
A free 12-hour coding competition where high school students form teams of up to four and build a working project from scratch with mentoring from USU faculty, students, and industry professionals.
Southwest MN Hacks
Free 24-hour student hackathon held in spring and fall at Southwest Minnesota State University for participants ages 14 and up, from high school through university. Teams of up to four build projects with mentors and workshops; beginners are welcome, and meals and snacks are included.
Stardance
The largest STEM event of the summer: make anything you want and earn free prizes. In partnership with NASA, AMD, and GitHub.
Sunbeam
A social coding event for girls 13-18 around the world! 20+ events in 20+ cities.
TeenHacks LI
Free high-school hackathon where programmers, engineers, designers and entrepreneurs form teams and build technology projects during an intensive event hosted on Long Island.
The Midwest Block-a-Thon
Hackathon event.
WEHack
Diversity focused hackathon event.
WildHacks
Hackathon event.