About the challenge

ZotHacks 2026 is Hack at UCI’s mini-hackathon geared towards beginners taking place on October 16-18 at the UCI Student Center!

At this event, hackers will experience an introduction to hackathons and software development techniques applied to web-based projects. The event is free to attend. Technical workshops and prizes will be provided! Unfortunately, due to space constraints, ZotHacks is limited to ONLY UCI students who attend the event in person.

Hacking begins Saturday morning at 10 AM and ends the same day at 10 PM. All submissions MUST be made here on Devpost.

• Technology
  Why did you use what you used? Judges look for purposeful tech choices woven into a polished, working product — not tools added just to pad the stack. Can you justify every piece?
• Quality
  Would another developer want to work in your codebase? Judges look for organized files, readable commit history, and minimal copy-pasted code. Can you name your implementation's strengths and weaknesses?
• Impact
  Why does this matter, and to whom? Judges look for a meaningful problem that resonates with a real audience. Does your solution have potential to create measurable, positive change?
• Practicality
  Can this actually work, and can someone actually use it? Judges look for realistic scope and intuitive, accessible design. Is there a believable path to real-world use?
• Presentation & Learning
  Can you explain what you built, why you built it that way, and what you learned? Judges look for clear demos, full team participation, honest reflection, and genuine understanding of your tools — including any AI assistance.