Dates

Hack Arizona HackDay

February 20, 2026

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (In Person)

Project Submission Deadline: 3:30 PM

A short grace period may be provided for verified technical issues. No submissions will be accepted after judging begins.

Eligibility

  • Open to currently enrolled college and university students.

  • Participants must register through MLH and Devpost.

  • Teams may consist of 1 to 4 members.

  • All participants must agree to the MLH Code of Conduct.

  • Projects must be created during the HackDay event timeframe.

Project and Submission Requirements

  • Projects must be built during Hack Arizona HackDay.

  • Pre existing libraries, APIs, and frameworks are allowed.

  • The core functionality and implementation must be developed during the event.

  • To qualify for the Best Use of the Google Gemini API prize, the project must clearly and meaningfully integrate the Gemini API.

  • Teams must submit the following on Devpost before the deadline:

    • Project name and description

    • Team member names

    • Explanation of how Gemini API was used

    • A demo video or live demo link

    • Link to source code repository (GitHub recommended)

     

Incomplete submissions may not be eligible for judging.

Prizes:

 

🏆 Best Use of the Google Gemini API

Awarded to the team that demonstrates the most effective, creative, and meaningful integration of the Google Gemini API in their project.

Prize details provided by MLH and Google.

Additional prizes may be announced during the event.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated based on:

  1. Effective Use of Gemini API (Primary Requirement)

    • Is the Gemini API clearly integrated?

    • Does it play a meaningful role in the solution?

    • Is it used beyond simple or trivial implementation?

     

  2. Technical Implementation

    • Quality of code and architecture

    • Functionality and stability

     

  3. Creativity and Innovation

    • Originality of the idea

    • Unique application of AI

     

  4. Impact and Practical Value

    • Real world usefulness

    • Problem solving ability

     

Judges will review submissions, attend demos, and score projects using a standardized rubric.

All judging decisions are final.

Major League Hacking (MLH) stands for inclusivity. We believe that every single person has the right to hack in a safe and welcoming environment.

Harassment includes but is not limited to offensive verbal or written comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, social class, economic status, and veteran status. Additional cases of harassment include but are not limited to sharing sexual images, violent depictions, vulgar language, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, brigading, doxxing, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

In particular, attendees should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material both in their hacks and during the event. Booth staff (including volunteers) should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes or otherwise create a sexualized environment.

If what you’re doing is making someone feel uncomfortable, that counts as harassment and is enough reason to stop doing it. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Sponsors, judges, mentors, volunteers, organizers, MLH staff, and anyone else participating in the event are also subject to the anti-harassment policy.

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, MLH may take any action it deems appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no eligibility for reimbursement or refund of any type.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact MLH using the reporting procedures defined below.

MLH representatives can help participants contact campus security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all hackathon venues, hackathon-related social events, hackathon-supplied transportation, and online interactions related to the event.

Reporting Procedures

If you feel uncomfortable or think there may be a potential violation of the code of conduct, please report it immediately using one of the following methods. All reporters have the right to remain anonymous.

By sending information to the general reporting line, your report will go to our incident response team members.

Special Incidents

If you are uncomfortable reporting your situation to one or more of these people or need to contact any of them directly in case of emergency, direct contact details are listed below.

MLH reserves the right to revise, make exceptions to, or otherwise amend these policies in whole or in part. If you have any questions regarding these policies, please contact MLH by e-mail at incidents@mlh.io.

This document was last updated on: February 14th 2025