We hope that Pearl Hacks will help women and gender non-conforming individuals of all skill levels realize their true value within tech, invigorate their educational journeys, and inspire one another to continue dreaming and achieving amazing things.

Requirements

  • Max 4 people per team
  • Original code/work
    • Boilerplate code may be used, but you must cite your source(s)
      • Eligible sources consist of code from open-source tutorials and code given to hackers through sponsor workshops
    • All code and/or other materials must have been written or produced within the time frame of the hacking period
  • No cross-hackathon submissions allowed
    • You may not submit your Pearl Hacks project to another hackathon, or vice versa!
  • Late submissions will not be considered for prize judging, but may still be demo-ed at the fair

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$4,950+ in prizes
+ other prizes
First Place Pearl Hacks Prize
$1,000 in cash
1 winner

Each teammate gets the choice between an Apple Watch SE 3 or Apple iPad 11 inch. (Cash value is estimated cost of prizes.)

Second Place Pearl Hacks Prize
$500 in cash
1 winner

Each teammate gets the choice between a Nespresso Vertuo or Apple AirPods 4. (Cash value is estimated cost of prizes.)

Third Place Pearl Hacks Prize
$300 in cash
1 winner

Each teammate gets the choice between a FitBit Inspire 3 or Mechanical Keyboard. (Cash Value is estimated cost of prizes.)

Pearl Hacks Beginner Track
1 winner

Exclusive Pearl Hacks 2026 Director Hats!

[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.

[Capital One] Best Financial Hack
$250 in cash
1 winner

[Genesys] Best Customer Experience Hack
1 winner

Genesys Swag Bag

[Triad STEM OUTreach] Best Hack for Emergency Support (1st)
$600 in cash
1 winner

(Cash Value is estimated cost of prizes.)

[Triad STEM OUTreach] Best Hack for Emergency Support (2nd)
$500 in cash
1 winner

(Cash Value is estimated cost of prizes.)

[Triad STEM OUTreach] Best Hack for Emergency Support (3rd)
$300 in cash
1 winner

(Cash Value is estimated cost of prizes.)

[Fidelity] Best Hack to make Finance For All (1st)
$500 in cash
1 winner

[Fidelity] Best Hack to make Finance For All (2nd)
$250 in cash
1 winner

[Fidelity] Most Creative Hack (1st)
$500 in cash
1 winner

[Fidelity] Most Creative Hack (2nd)
$250 in cash
1 winner

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Pearl Hacks

Pearl Hacks
Pearl Hacks

Judging Criteria

  • Basic Submission Eligibility
    Submission teams must be 1-4 people. All code submitted for judging must have been written during the hackathon.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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