About the challenge

CrabHacks is a free annual hackathon for teens in the DMV to explore computer science, entrepreneurship, and tech.

​Join us for a day of hacking together projects, workshops, eating free food, and wearing cool merch.

​You must be in middle school or high school (18 years or younger) to sign up. Email [email protected] for any inquiries

Big thanks to our sponsors: Solana Foundation, Crackd, Sentry, TypeOS (YC X25), Indersoft Technologies, YRI Fellowship, Capital Workspaces, Interview Cake, Yubico, Klinn, and Parv. If you're also interested in donating/sponsoring, reach out to [email protected]

Get started

There are three tracks: Web3 (Solana), Education, and Entertainment. 

If you're doing Web3, you must integrate Solana technologies somehow. We will have a workshop on how to integrate Solana at 10:15.

• Problem & Solution
  Does the project identify a clear, relevant problem? Does the solution effectively remedy that problem?
• Target Market & UVP
  Has the team clearly identified who this is for? Have they explained their Unique Value Proposition (why this is better/different than what currently exists)?
• Marketing Plan
  How will they reach their users? Note: Must go beyond generic answers like "social media" or "flyers." Look for specific strategies.
• Funding Proposal
  The team asks for a reasonable amount of seed funding and provides a logical breakdown of how that money would be spent to grow the project.
• Functionality (MVP)
  Is the prototype functional (within reason for the time limit)? Did the team demonstrate a working MVP (Minimum Viable Product) rather than just slides?
• Relevance to Track
  Does the project fit the theme? (Note: Web3 projects MUST utilize Solana to receive points here).
• Team Chemistry
  Did all team members speak? Did the pitch flow well? Did they articulate their individual roles clearly?
• Pitch Length
  Did the pitch finish under the strict time limit? (Limit: 150 Seconds / 2 min 30 sec)