HackLondon 2026 is an overnight hackathon taking place 21–22 February 2026 at Bush House, London.

We’re bringing together students, builders, designers, and developers from across the UK to create ambitious, high-impact projects in just 24 hours.

Whether you’re passionate about AI, fintech, climate, web, hardware, health, or something completely unexpected, this is your opportunity to turn ideas into reality.

Over one intense weekend, you will:

  • 🚀 Build a working prototype from scratch

  • 🤝 Form a team (or join one on the day)

  • 🧠 Learn from mentors and industry experts

  • 🏆 Compete for prizes across multiple tracks

  • 🎤 Demo your project to judges and sponsors

No matter your experience level, HackLondon is about pushing boundaries, experimenting boldly, and shipping something you didn’t think you could build in 24 hours.

Let’s get hacking.

Tracks & Prizes

You may only choose one track per team.

Hardware Track: “Unicorns Den”, sponsored by Qualcomm & eesoc

Invent a device that solves real problems for people in universities (students or professors). Your solution must demonstrate both technical feasibility and financial viability.

Perks

  • Access to £5000 worth of hardware components (Arduino Unos, ESP32s, sensors, and more — yours to keep!)

  • 1000 HackCoins to spend in Hackspace D, featuring:

    • Hardware lab

    • 3D printers

    • Soldering stations

Beginner-friendly — no prior hardware experience required.

Knowunity Track

Build a daily learning companion designed specifically for university students. Go beyond tools like ChatGPT or Gemini — create something that genuinely helps students learn, stay on track, and succeed.

Judging Criteria

  • 💡 Idea (solving a real problem)

  • 🎨 Execution (UX and flow)

  • 🧠 Technical ambition

Prizes

🥇 1st Place: Sponsored trip to Berlin to visit Knowunity HQ + dinner with the founders
🥈 2nd Place: DJI Neo 2 drones
🥉 3rd Place: £100 gift voucher per team member

Autonomous Planning Intelligence Challenge, by Serac Group & IBex

Technology can reimagine how the built world works. Build solutions that shape the future of cities by:

  • Predicting risk

  • Optimising land use

  • Automating compliance

  • Building digital twins

Resources

  • Live UK geospatial datasets (EPC, Flood Risk, Green Belt, etc.)

  • Exclusive hackathon access to the IBex API for planning data

Prizes

🥇 1st Place: Steam Deck OLEDs
🥈 2nd Place: Sony XM5SAs
🥉 3rd Place: Amazon Gift Cards

Societies Software Track

Build for 2036.

Don’t just solve today’s problems. Think about what society will struggle with in 10 years — and build software that addresses it.

Judging Criteria

  • Feasibility (realism and viability)

  • Creativity (authenticity and uniqueness)

  • Clarity (understanding of knock-on effects)

  • Sustainability

General Rules

  • 👥 Team Size: Maximum 4 people

  • ⏳ Build Time: All projects must be built during the event (no pre-built work allowed)

  • 🤝 Code of Conduct: Be respectful and follow organiser instructions

  • 📤 Submission: Submit your project on Devpost before the Sunday deadline

Bring curiosity. Bring ambition. Build something wild.

Hackathons UK – Side Tracks & Activities

Our partners at Hackathons UK are running additional mini-challenges and activities throughout the weekend.

Best Use of AI Agents on Arm

Build the most innovative project using AI agents running on Arm architecture.

Prize

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W Kit

Hardware Available

Borrow an 8GB Raspberry Pi 5 from the Arm Developer Labs.

Hackiest Hack

Show us your most hilariously “hacky” workaround or project. Duct tape energy encouraged.

Prize

Shark plushies.

Mini-Events & Networking

  • 🏆 Cup Stacking Mini-Event – Saturday at 20:00 GMT

  • 🎁 Swag & Networking – Visit the Hackathons UK table

  • 💼 Connect with sponsors actively recruiting for 2026 graduate & internship roles

HackLondon 2026 is where ambitious ideas meet execution.

Requirements

To ensure a fair and exciting competition, please make sure your project and Devpost submission follow the guidelines below.

General Hackathon Rules

  • 👥 Team Size: Maximum of 4 people per team.

  • ⏳ Fresh Code Only: All projects must be built strictly during the event. No pre-built or previously developed projects are allowed.

  • 🛤 Track Selection: Each team must choose exactly one track.

To be eligible for judging and prizes, teams must complete all of the following:

Devpost Submission

Your Devpost submission must include:

  • Project Name

  • Clear Project Description (what it does, the problem it solves, and which track you are competing in)

  • How It Was Built (technical stack, architecture, APIs used)

  • Challenges Faced

  • Accomplishments

  • What’s Next (optional but encouraged)

  • Demo Video (if required by organisers)

  • Public GitHub Repository Link

GitHub Repository

  • Must be public at the time of submission.

  • Must contain the code built during the hackathon.

  • Must not include restricted or proprietary data (e.g., IBex API data).

Team Information

  •  

    All team members must be listed on Devpost.

  • Each member must provide a valid email address.

  • Only registered, onsite participants may be included.

Demo & Judging Format

  •  

    Each team will deliver a 3-minute live demo.

  • Followed by 2 minutes of Q&A from judges.

  • Demos must clearly show a working prototype (or functional proof of concept)

Judges’ decisions are final.

Track-Specific Compliance

Serac Group Track
  •  
    Open datasets must have appropriate licences and be referenced.

  • IBex API data is for hackathon use only.

  • IBex data must not be copied, exported, or published in public repositories.

Hardware Track – Sponsored by Qualcomm & eesoc

 

  • Teams must follow all safety instructions.

  • Projects must demonstrate both technical and financial viability.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

20 non-cash prizes
(Hardware Track) 4x Nintendo Switch 2 (w/ a game!)
1 winner

1st Place Prize for the Hardware Track

(Hardware Track) 4x RayBan Meta
1 winner

2nd Place Prize for the Hardware Track

(Hardware Track) 4x 100 GBP Amazon Gift Card
1 winner

Third-place prize for the Hardware Track

(Knowunity Track) 4x Sponsored trip to Berlin
1 winner

1st Place Prize for the Knowunity Track. Sponsored trip to Berlin to visit Knowunity HQ & have dinner with the founders

(Knowunity Track) 4x DJI Neo Drone
2 winners

2nd Place Prize for the Knowunity Track

(Knowunity Track) 4x 100 GBP Amazon Gift Card
1 winner

Third-place prize for the Knowunity track.

(Serac Track) 4x Steam Deck OLED
1 winner

1st Place Prize for the Serac Group Track.

(Serac Track) 4x Sony XM5SA
2 winners

2nd Place Prize for the Serac Group Track.

(Serac Track) 4x 100 GBP Amazon Gift Card
1 winner

Third-place prize for the Serac Group track.

(Societies Track) 4x Meta Quest 3
1 winner

1st Place Prize for the Societies Track

(Societies Track) 4x iPads
1 winner

2nd Place Prize for the Societies Track

(Societies Track) 4x 100 GBP Amazon Gift Card
1 winner

3rd Place Prize for the Societies Track

[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
1 winner

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
1 winner

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
1 winner

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 Presage
1 winner

Fitbit Inspire & Presage Perks
Presage is pioneering the Human Sensing Layer, enabling any application to understand a person’s real-time physical and emotional state. With Presage, you can leverage clinically-proven vital signs, movement, emotion, and/or focus tracking to build a project that gives the standard camera super powers.

Use any of the Presage SDKs to integrate capabilities like real-time heart rate, breathing rate, engagement levels, and facial expressions into your hack with just a few lines of code.
Immersive Gaming & Entertainment: Dynamically change game difficulty or story elements based on a player's excitement or focus levels.
Contactless Wellness & Fitness: Build a non-invasive app that monitors stress, recovery, or fitness performance.
Accessibility & Security: Utilize vital signs for effortless authentication, or to enhance accessibility.
Productivity: Design a tool that tracks focus or stress.
Build your next hack with Presage and show us the future of human-computer interaction! Win awesome prizes along for with the following perks from the Presage team:
Free refills for Presage Development credits to accelerate you through your next three months of building
30% off all Presage usage charges for your first year after going live

[MLH] Best Use of Vultr
1 winner

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 MongoDB Atlas
1 winner

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 team.

[Hackathons UK] Best Use of AI Agents on Arm
1 winner

Develop an innovative AI agent running on Arm hardware—from mobile devices to cloud servers! This challenge encourages leveraging LLMs, either on-device or via API, to create practical solutions. Show us the best use of AI agents on Arm and win a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W kit! Learn more at https://hackuk.org/arm

[Hackathons UK] Hackiest Hack
1 winner

Build something over-the-top over engineered and held together with string. Use your imagination. Our favourite project will win Shark Plushes for each team member.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

(Knowunity Track) Harry Westworth

(Knowunity Track) Harry Westworth
Automations Engineer / Knowunity

(Knowunity Track) Gregor Weber

(Knowunity Track) Gregor Weber
Co-founder / Knowunity

(Serac Track) Giulio Grassi

(Serac Track) Giulio Grassi
CTO / Serac Group

(Serac Track) Alexandra (Alice) Pacuraru

(Serac Track) Alexandra (Alice) Pacuraru
Head of Product / Serac Group

(Hardware Track) Thomas Gilbert

(Hardware Track) Thomas Gilbert
Professor / University College London

(Hackathons UK) Eve Routledge

(Hackathons UK) Eve Routledge
Hackathons UK

(MLH) Quinn Dines

(MLH) Quinn Dines
Coach / Major League Hacking

Judging Criteria

  • (Hardware Track) Problem & University Impact (20%)
    - Is the problem real and clearly defined? - Does it meaningfully improve student, staff, or university life? - Is the need convincing and relevant?
  • (Hardware Track) Technical Execution & Hardware Design (20%)
    - Is there meaningful hardware integration? - Is the system architecture clear and logical? - Does the prototype function reliably? - Is connectivity (IoT element) properly implemented?
  • (Hardware Track) Innovation & Product Creativity (20%)
    - Is the idea original or a meaningful improvement? - Does the solution stand out? - Is it more than just a simple sensor demonstration?
  • (Hardware Track) Financial Viability & Scalability (20%)
    - Is there a realistic cost estimate (BOM)? - Who would pay for this and why? - Can it scale across campus? - Have risks and deployment challenges been considered?
  • (Hardware Track) Pitch, Clarity & Persuasiveness (20%)
    - Was the pitch clear and well-structured? - Did the team communicate confidence and understanding? - Did they handle judges’ questions effectively? - Does the product feel investment-worthy?
  • (Knowunity Track) Your idea
    Is the concept compelling? Does it solve a real problem in your learning life?
  • (Knowunity Track) Your execution
    Does it work well? Is the UX thoughtful? Does the flow make sense?
  • (Knowunity Track) The technical challenge
    How ambitious was the build? Did you push yourselves technically?
  • (Serac Track) Real-World Relevance (30%)
    Does this solve a meaningful problem in property, planning, or development?
  • (Serac Track) Effective Use of IBex API and datasets (20%)
    Is IBex central to the system’s logic? Are its historical records, classifications, or polygon data meaningfully leveraged?
  • (Serac Track) Technical Sophistication (35%)
    Does the system demonstrate strong architecture, multi-step reasoning, structured workflows, or intelligent automation?
  • (Serac Track) UX (15%)
    Is the system intuitive and easy to use for its target audience Is the core task clear within the first 30 seconds? Does the flow reduce friction in complex processes? Are outputs presented in a clear, structured format
  • (Societies Track) Feasibility
    How realistic is your problem? How viable is your solution?
  • (Societies Track) Creativity
    How creative is the problem you thought of? Is your solution authentic and unique?
  • (Societies Track) Clarity
    How precise is your problem? Have you thought of all the knock-on effects of your solution?
  • (Societies Track) Sustainability
    You know the drift Can your problem be used in a sustainable manner?
  • (Hackathons UK) Best use of AI Agents on Arm
    Refer to https://hackathons.org.uk/partners/arm/
  • (Hackathons UK) Hackiest Hack
    Is the project a very hacky/makeshift solution to the problem?
  • (MLH) Judging Criterias
    Refer to https://www.mlh.com/events/hacklondon-16/prizes

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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