About the Challenge

Welcome to OwlHacks 2025 — FAU High School’s first-ever student-run hackathon! Whether you’re a beginner or a code veteran, you can build something awesome with your team, compete for prizes, and learn a ton along the way. Form your team, brainstorm an idea, and bring it to life using any tools or tech you like.

Requirements

What to Build

Anything you want! Web apps, games, hardware hacks, art+code combos—you name it. Your project should be original, built during the hackathon, and submitted by the deadline.

What to Submit
  • A link to your code (e.g., GitHub repo)
  • A short project description
  • A 2–5 minute demo video
  • Optional: screenshots, diagrams, or live demo links

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

5 non-cash prizes
Best Overall Hack
1 winner

Awarded to the project that delivers the strongest all-around experience—great idea, technical skill, visual polish, and presentation. This isn’t necessarily the most complex hack, but it’s the one that feels complete, creative, and impactful.
Only one team will receive this award.

Best Advanced Hack
1 winner

Recognizes the most technically challenging and impressive project. Judges are looking for complex builds, ambitious code, and strong execution—regardless of visual design or simplicity of concept.
1st and 2nd place awarded.

Best Beginner Hack
1 winner

For standout projects by first-time hackers. Judges are looking for clear ideas, creative thinking, and solid effort—don’t worry about being fancy.
1st and 2nd place awarded.
Eligibility: Teams must have a majority (>50%) of its members mark themselves as ‘beginners’ on the sign-up form. Both members of a 2-person team must be beginners for the team to be eligible.

Best Game
1 winner

Awarded to the most fun, creative, and polished game—digital or physical.
1st place only.

Popular Vote
1 winner

Crowd favorite! This award goes to the project with the most votes from attendees.
Can be won in addition to a judged category.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Thandi Menelas

Amarnath Patel

Jossaya Camille

Makai Pindell

Tucker Hindle

Judging Criteria

  • Innovation & Creativity
    Evaluates how original, imaginative, or unexpected the idea is. Judges will look for creative thinking, unique approaches, and fresh takes—even on common problems.
  • Technical Complexity
    Assesses the depth and challenge of the technology used. A strong project will demonstrate solid coding skills, thoughtful architecture, and technical ambition.
  • Functionality & Completion
    Looks at how complete and operational the project is. Fully functional and well-tested projects will score higher than partial or buggy ones.
  • User Experience & Design
    Focuses on how easy and enjoyable the project is to use. Good UX means intuitive interfaces, thoughtful user flow, and attention to visual or interactive design.
  • Impact & Relevance
    Measures how meaningful, helpful, or applicable the project is. Judges consider whether the project solves a real problem or offers value to others.
  • Presentation & Pitch
    Covers how clearly the team communicates their idea, process, and outcome. A great pitch is confident, well-organized, and shows passion for the project.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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