Welcome to PickHacks 2026, Missouri S&T’s annual in-person hackathon!
This year’s theme is Smart Cities: build technology that makes cities safer, more connected, more efficient, and more livable. In just 36 hours, you’ll team up, build a project, and demo what you created to judges for prizes. Safer streets, resilient infrastructure, better mobility, smarter energy, improved accessibility, real-time data, emergency response, or community-driven tools or maybe your own interpretation of "smart cities."
Bring any skill set: software, hardware, UX, data science, cybersecurity, product design.
Who can participate?All majors and skill levels are welcome.
How it works-
In-person check-in is required: 3:00 PM CT on February 27
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After check-in, you’ll have 36 hours to build your project
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Projects must be submitted online through Devpost before the deadline
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Final teams will demo and be judged on impact, creativity, technical execution, and how well the project fits the theme
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Free food + drinks all weekend
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Workshops, mentors, and sponsor support
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A high-energy space to build and meet other hackers
Register here: register.pickhacks.io
Join Discord for updates and team formation: https://discord.gg/ZyJZRKH2N4
Requirements
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In-person check-in required: Friday, February 27 @ 3:00 PM CT
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Teams may be consist of 1 and 4 individuals.
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All majors and skill levels are welcome.
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You must submit your track / track path selection by 11:00 PM CT on Saturday, February 28.
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Multiple tracks are allowed, as long as your submission clearly explains how it meets each track’s goals.
To be eligible for judging, your Devpost project must include all of the following:
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A public GitHub repository link
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Your repo must be public and accessible to judges.
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A 3-minute demo video uploaded to Devpost
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Must be ~3 minutes and show your project working (screenshare, live demo, prototype, etc.).
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Project description + instructions
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Clearly explain what you built, how it works, and how to run it (if applicable).
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Your project should be built during the hackathon (no fully pre-built projects).
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You may use open-source libraries, APIs, and frameworks, but you must give proper credit.
Prizes
General Theme
Meta Quest 3 512GB
$2,000 Value!
Best Solo Hack
Meta Quest 3s
$150 Value!
Best Beginner
Redragon Mechanical Noise-Cancelling Foam Keyboard
$240 in value
Best Use of AI
Ray-Ban Meta Glasses
$1,500 Value!
Best Use of Security
1-year subscriptions for NordVPN, NordPass, NordProtect and Incogni (up to 6 individuals).
1 GB of free data for Saily (up to 6 individuals).
3-month access and €200 credit for nexos.ai (up to 6 individuals)
$1,000 Value!
[TIP] Crystal Ball Track
$400 in prizes (gift cards)
TIP opportunity: Standout projects may have the possibility of being
funded as a TIP to continue development beyond the weekend.
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
Google Swag Kits
It’s time to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI using Google Gemini. Check out the Gemini API to build AI-powered apps that make your friends say WHOA. So, what can Gemini do for your hackathon project?
Understand language like a human and build a chatbot that gives personalized advice
Analyze info like a supercomputer and create an app that summarizes complex research papers
Generate creative content like code, scripts, music, and more
Think of the possibilities… what will you build with the Google Gemini API this weekend?
[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
Wireless Earbuds
Deploy natural, human-sounding audio with ElevenLabs. Create realistic, dynamic, and emotionally expressive voices for any project, from interactive AI companions to narrated stories and voice-enabled apps. ElevenLabs will empower you to build rich, immersive experiences without the need for actors or complex audio production, using simply the power of AI.
Integrate fully autonomous audio experiences into your hack with ElevenLabs and give your project a voice, along with giving your team the chance to win some wireless earbuds!
[MLH] Best Use of Solana
Ledger Nano S Plus
The world of development is evolving fast and Solana is leading the charge with a network built to handle all of your infrastructure needs. Forget high fees and slow confirmations, it’s time to build applications that are fast, efficient, and scalable.
Harness Solana's core advantages like blazing fast execution and near-zero transaction costs to make your hackathon ideas become real world projects. With Solana, the possibilities are endless.
Create a game, social app, or consumer product that relies on instant, high-frequency transactions.
Design a sophisticated trading, lending, or decentralized exchange (DEX).
Build a prototype for supply chain, identity, or payments that can handle massive, real-world volume.
Show us how you can innovate with Solana for a chance to win some cool prizes for you and each member of your team!
[MLH] Best Use of Vultr
Portable Screens
Vultr empowers hackers to bring their high-performance projects to life instantly; providing everything from the speed of one-click deployment and scalable cloud compute, to specialized Vultr Cloud GPUs that can power AI-driven applications. We want you to push the limits of what can be built when infrastructure is no longer the bottleneck!
Sign up for a Vultr account today and claim your free cloud credits! Take your next hack to the cloud with Vultr for a chance to win some awesome portable screens for you and your team!
[MLH] Best Use of Auth0
Wireless Headphones
Auth0 wants your applications to be secure! Why spend hours building features like social sign-in, Multi-Factor Authentication, and passwordless log-in when you can enable them through Auth0 straight out of the box? You can also secure your AI applications with Auth0 for AI Agents.
Auth0 is free to try, doesn’t require a credit card, and allows for up to 7,000 free active users and unlimited log-ins. Make your new account today and use any of the Auth0 APIs for a chance to win a pair of wireless headphones for you and each member of your team!
[MLH] Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
M5Stack IoT Kit
MongoDB Atlas takes the leading modern database and makes it accessible in the cloud! Get started with a $50 credit for students or sign up for the Atlas free forever tier (no credit card required). Along with a suite of services and functionalities, you'll have everything you need to manage all of your data, and you can get a headstart with free resources from MongoDB University! Build a hack using MongoDB Atlas for a chance to win a M5Stack IoT Kit for you and each member of your group.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Harish Kunta
Senior Software Engineer, Intuit
Ayman Rahman
Data Engineer, Mastercard
Pawandeep Dhall
Senior Mechanical Engineer, Shift Robotics
Zack Ellis
Intelligent Cloud Specialist, Microsoft
Michael Gosnell
S&T Professor
San Yeung
S&T Professor
Ricardo Morales
S&T Professor
Jack Manhardt
S&T Professor
Vishaanth Muddu
Accenture
Reid Haegele
Wells Fargo
Gabe Haegele
NISC
Everett Yan
Capital One
Judging Criteria
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Technical Ability
Technology utilized within the hack is impressive and shows more initiative than simply copying past creations and piecing them together. Hackers demonstrated a higher level of ability than what could be expected in a 48-hour learning period. -
Creativity
The project explored a new technology or had unique ideas. The project approaches an issue in a fresh or exciting way. It’s clear the hackers had fun working on their project, and are passionate about what they created. -
Theme and Goal
The project aligns well with the hackathon’s theme and has a clear objective. The game’s mechanics or design reflects thoughtful consideration of the theme. The team successfully communicated what they aimed to achieve with their project.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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