The Virginia Western Computer Science Club will be hosting a hackathon from October 9th 2026 to October 17th 2026!
What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is a event where small groups of people work to build a prototype of something together in a limited time. Our hackathon takes place over a week to give students with busy lives a chance to participate. At the start of the hackathon all the participants will be informed of the challenge. Every group will be given the same challenge and will try to create the best prototype they can. This challenge will be a software based challenge, so the students will not be required to spend money. This is a beginner level challenge, so everyone is welcome. Groups are very much encouraged, but will not be enforced except for non-duel enrolled highschool students.
Rules and Guidelines
- Eligibility: Open to students currently enrolled in a Virginia Community College, and to local high school students.
- Team size: Teams must have between 1 and 5 members. Total registration is capped at 50 participants.
- Timeline: Development runs from October 9 through October 16. Projects must be complete and ready to be presented by October 17.
- AI & external code use: AI tools may be used only in a limited capacity. Any code generated by AI or taken/adapted from another source (another person, a tutorial, an open-source repo, etc.) must be clearly marked with comments or citations identifying its origin. Undisclosed use of AI-generated or borrowed code is a violation of the rules and may affect eligibility for judging.
- Presentations: Each team presents live using a slideshow on October 17 (see Presentation Guidelines and Schedule below).
- Conduct: All participants are expected to collaborate respectfully and follow standard event conduct expectations set by organizers.
Presentation Guidelines
To keep the day on schedule for an estimated 10–15 teams and 3–4 judges, each team receives a maximum of 10 minutes total:
- Up to 7 minutes to present their project via slideshow
- Up to 3 minutes for judges’ questions (Q&A) Teams should design their slideshow to fit within the 7-minute window — timing will be enforced so every team presents and judges can complete deliberation within 30 minutes of the last presentation.
Benefits of Participating
- Prizes for top-scoring teams
- Resume-building experience with a completed, presentable project
- Hands-on learning experience in programming and cybersecurity
- Teambuilding and collaboration skills
Signup
More Information & Contact
For questions about the hackathon email: ack46892@email.vccs.edu
For questions related to the website go to: https://www.csvwcc.club/contact-us/