All about LeedsHack
LeedsHack is the student hackathon at the University of Leeds, now returning for its second iteration. It's rapidly growing with even more participants and another batch of wonderful sponsors and partners joining to connect with our student community, and this year we're also proud to be a Major League Hacking event! It's an incredible opportunity for all students, from beginners to experienced hackathon-goers, to learn new skills, work on an exciting project, meet new people and network. Our theme will be revealed on the day, but as always, we are encouraging you to challenge yourself to explore new areas and applications of computer science, develop your skills and interests, and further your career aspirations through networking with sponsors.
Schedule for the day
| Time | Event | Location |
| Sat 10:00-10:45 | Registration | Atrium |
| Sat 11:00-12:00 | Opening talk | Rhodes lecture theatre |
| Sat 12:00 | Hacking begins | GR.18, GR.25, 2.05, 2.07, 2.15 |
| Sat 12:30-13:30 | Lunch | Atrium |
| Sat 14:00-14:30 | IMDb challenge Q&A | 2.37 lecture theatre |
| Sat 15:00-16:00 | Intro to Google AI Studio workshop with MLH | 2.37 lecture theatre |
| Sat 17:00-18:00 | Intro to Agent Mode on GitHub Copilot workshop with MLH | 2.37 lecture theatre |
| Sat 18:30-19:30 | Dinner | Atrium |
| Sat 20:00-21:00 | Quiz | 2.37 lecture theatre |
| Sat 21:15-22:15 | Mario Kart tournament | 2.37 lecture theatre |
| Sun 00:00-01:00 | Midnight meal | Atrium |
| Sun 08:15-09:00 | Breakfast | Atrium |
| Sun 12:00 | Hacking ends (submission deadline) | GR.18, GR.25, 2.05, 2.07, 2.15 |
| Sun 12:30-13:00 | Lunch | Atrium |
| Sun 13:00-14:30 | Judging | GR.18, GR.25, 2.05, 2.07, 2.15 |
| Sun 15:00-16:00 | Closing talk | Rhodes lecture theatre |
Venue map
The number at the start of a room name indicates the floor - GR means ground floor, 2 means second floor, 3 means third floor.
| Room | Description |
| Atrium | This is where you will register, sponsors will set up their tables with merchandise, and we'll have a table staffed with a volunteer for help and support. It's also where we'll give out food at mealtimes, as well as snacks and drinks (hot and cold) in between meals. |
| GR.18 | This is where hacking will take place - you'll have a table with your team. |
| GR.25 | This is where hacking will take place - you'll have a table with your team. |
| 2.05 (labs) | This is where hacking will take place - you'll have a table with your team. |
| 2.07 (labs) | This is where hacking will take place - you'll have a table with your team. |
| 2.15 (labs) | This is where hacking will take place - you'll have a table with your team. |
| 2.37 lecture theatre | This is where the workshops and activities (quiz, Mario Kart) will take place. |
| Rhodes lecture theatre (in Electrical Engineering) | This is where the opening and closing talks will take place. It's in Electrical Engineering which is connected to Bragg, we will have volunteers taking people over before the talks so just follow one if you are unsure how to get there! |
| 2.08 | This is the women and non-binary quiet area - anyone identifying as female or non-binary is welcome to spend some time here if they want a break or to sleep. |
| 2.10 | This is the mixed-gender quiet area - anyone of any gender identity is welcome to spend some time here if they want a break or to sleep. |
| 2.03 | This is a prayer space - please only use this for prayer, and please be respectful and mindful of people of all faiths sharing this space. |
| 3.24 | This is a prayer space - please only use this for prayer, and please be respectful and mindful of people of all faiths sharing this space. |
Please use the lifts and stairs located at the back of the atrium behind the TV screen.
Male, female, gender-neutral and accessible toilets are located on the ground floor, and male, female, and gender-neutral toilets are also on the second floor. Please look for signs or ask a volunteer if you need help finding them.
Water refill stations are located at:
Second floor, on the wall outside 2.11, left hand side of building.
Second floor, on the wall outside 2.25, right hand side of main stairs.
Unfortunately there are not any on the ground floor, but please ask a volunteer if you have any problems getting to them. All other snacks and drinks will be on tables in the atrium, including a kettle with coffee and tea to make hot drinks.
For more information on access visit the AccessAble website or speak to a volunteer.
Getting started
Teams are of up to 4 participants, and each team can submit to as many sponsor challenges as you wish as well as to the overall challenge. Team building will happen in the cafe area of the atrium at the start of hacking time for anyone looking to join a team or add extra team members. Once you have formed a team, start thinking about what you would like to build - check out the 'resources' section at the top if you are unsure. Once you have decided on the challenge you want to submit to, get thinking about a project idea. We recommend you spend a bit of time brainstorming ideas - think about the different skills of your team members, what you want to learn, and what is feasible with the 24 hours. We will have experienced mentors on-hand to help talk through your ideas, and feel free to ask our sponsors any questions about their challenges - it's a great way to get chatting to them...
Requirements
What to build
We will reveal our theme and main challenge in the opening ceremony. It will be deliberately broad to allow for creativity and originality, so interpret it however you wish! We will also provide some starting points if you are looking for ideas. We would love to see everyone developing their skills and trying something new, whether this is your first hackathon or your 20th. Just remember that your submitted project must have been produced by your team within the 24-hour hacking period, and any hardware you bring to use must start off in an 'out-the-box' state, with no previous work done on it before the hackathon. Scroll down for our full judging criteria, and please refer to the 'rules' section at the top for the full list of rules.
What to submit
Provide a link to access your working project if you have deployed it. You may also want to submit photos of videos of your working project, and a text description that outlines the features and functionality of your project, your motivations for choosing it, and how it solves the chosen challenge(s). It would also be good to provide a link to your code repository if possible. Sponsors and judges will come round and talk to you during judging, so pleas be prepared to to give a live demo and pitch then. Some sponsor challenges may also have additional specific submission requirements, so please read their challenge briefs carefully and speak to them if you are unsure what to submit for their challenge.
Prizes
1st Prize Overall - Best interpretation of 'Systems Rebooted'
£100 Amazon voucher for each member of the winning team.
2nd Prize Overall - Best interpretation of 'Systems Rebooted'
JBL speaker for each member of the winning team.
PwC Sponsor Challenge: Rewiring communities
Prize: £50 Amazon voucher for each member of the winning team.
IMDb Sponsor Challenge: Modernising the contribution experience
Prize: £100 Amazon voucher for the winning team.
Genio Sponsor Challenge: Learning rebooted
Prize: £25 Amazon voucher for each member of the winning team
Ligentia Sponsor Challenge: Great supply chain race
Prize: £50 John Lewis voucher for each member of the winning team.
Parallax Sponsor Challenge: Using the past to predict the future
Prize: £100 for each member of the winning team.
School of Computer Science Sponsor Challenge: Attendance makes the grade
Prize: £100 for each member of the winning team.
[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 Presage
SenseCAP Watcher & 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.
Imagine the possibilities!
Immersive Gaming & Entertainment: Dynamically change game difficulty, music, or story elements based on a player's real-time excitement or focus levels.
Contactless Wellness & Fitness: Build a non-invasive app that monitors stress, recovery, or fitness performance without requiring a specialized wearable device.
Accessibility & Security: Utilize vital signs for advanced, effortless authentication, or to enhance accessibility for specific user groups.
Productivity: Design a tool that tracks focus or stress in real-time, providing feedback or environmental adjustments to optimize remote work or study sessions.
Build your next hack with Presage and show us the future of human-computer interaction! Best Use of Presage winners will receive SenseCAP Watchers for each team member, along 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 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 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 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 team.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Alex Tan
Software Engineer at Lloyds Banking Group
Oliver Peeters
Data Scientist at IBM
Paul Exley
Director of Engineering at ETAS
Eve Sherratt-Cross
Hackathon Organiser and AI Researcher
Jay Valentine
Software Engineer at ETAS
Bailey-Tyreese Dawson
Software Developer at Cennox
Judging Criteria
-
Innovation
We're looking for projects that use ideas and technologies in new and creative ways, by applying them to new problems or areas of computer science and related fields. -
Problem solving
We're looking for projects that aim to address problems that you think need solving - whether that's social good, education, healthcare, or just creating something that helps with a hobby or interest you have! -
Creative thinking
We're looking for projects that think outside the box and interpret the theme in exciting ways. -
Collaboration
We're looking for projects that combine the skills and interests of team members, so that the team can work collaboratively, with each member making meaningful contributions and being involved in decision making. -
Development of new skills
We're looking for projects that have allowed the team to develop their interests and skills. -
Solid technical implementation
We're looking for projects that have been implemented following good programming practice and with a codebase that is scalable to add new features in the future. -
Use of relevant tools
We're looking for projects that make effective use of available resources such as APIs, while building on their functionality and applying them to new problems. -
Consideration of user experience
We're looking for projects that think through how a user might interact with them and show consideration of different user backgrounds and accessibility requirements.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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