WELCOME!

UXC NYU's 2025 Design-a-thon is a creative challenge where teams explore AI for Sustainability, crafting mobile app designs that inspire users to live more sustainably. Expect expert-led workshops, exciting prizes, and great food—including lunch and brunch—to keep you energized. Whether you're here to design, innovate, or learn, this is your chance to shape a greener future.

Time to design for impact.

The Challenge: Design an AI-powered mobile app that helps users make more sustainable lifestyle choices through personalized insights and guidance.

Your app should show how AI can understand user behavior, adapt recommendations over time, and help users see their environmental impact. Focus on designing a comprehensive concept — highlight your app’s core features, primary user flows, and key moments of AI interaction that demonstrate how the experience drives meaningful, long-term behavior change.

This event will take place IN PERSON November 8-9 at 370 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY.

Check-in will be at the lobby of 370 Jay St. If you're a non-NYU student, please bring a valid government ID for check-in!

Team Requirements: Teams must consist of 3-4 members. Every member must RSVP through Luma. No team? Join our team formation event at 11:30AM to meet others and form a team.

Note: You cannot work SOLO for this design-a-thon, only teams of 3-4 participants.

All participants must leave the premises by 6:30 PM each day. Failure to do so may result in removal from the event and/or loss of participation privileges.

Required Tools:

  • All participants must use Manus.AI during the design-a-thon (free Manus Pro access will be provided for the event)
  • To qualify for the Most Lovable category, participants must use Lovable (credits will be provided)

Please check the "Resources" tab for our FAQ to see if we have answered potential questions you may have. If you have more questions, please email us at [email protected].

UX Club NYU is not responsible for any injury, loss, or damage that may occur during this event. Please be mindful of your surroundings, respectful of others, and take care of the space. For more information on the Code of Conduct, please refer to the Rules tab.

Requirements

Submission Deadline

All submissions are due Sunday, November 9th, at 12:30 PM EST. You are only allowed to submit one entry per team.

If you are building upon existing designs or concepts created prior to this Designathon, you must disclose that to the judges. Only the design work developed during this weekend will be considered for judging.

No cross-posting is allowed. You must be present at the closing ceremony to claim your prize.

Submission Requirements

Each team must submit the following:

  1. Case Study & Prototype Link

    Important: All submitted links must be publicly viewable. Private or restricted links will result in a voided submission.

    Submit a link to your case study presentation and working prototype (Figma or Lovable).

    • Your case study should clearly communicate your process and outcome. It should include:

      • Overview – What your project is about and its purpose

      • Description – Context of your idea and key features

      • Problem Statement – The issue or opportunity you’re addressing

      • Research & Insights – Key findings that informed your solution

      • Solution – Your final design concept and prototype visuals

      • Reflection / Impact – What you learned and how it addresses the theme

    • Make sure your link includes “http://” or “https://” so it’s accessible to judges.

  2. Pitch Video
    Record and upload a short video (up to 3 minutes) pitching your product.
    Your video should highlight:

    • The problem you’re solving and its relevance

    • Research insights and design decisions

    • A walkthrough or demo of your final prototype

Theme

Your project should demonstrate a complete design solution — from research to prototype — under the theme of AI for Sustainability. There is no coding required.

Category Prizes

You may opt into as many sponsor/category prizes as you wish, provided you follow any listed guidelines for those specific prizes.

For the Most Lovable Submission, teams must show clear evidence of using Lovable in their design process and include well-documented examples or screenshots in their slide deck demonstrating how the tool or framework informed their final outcome.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$200+ in prizes
+ other prizes
Overall Winners
$200 in cash
1 winner

and 1 month of free Manus.AI Pro access!

Best UI Design
1 winner

NYU Merch & sweet treats!

Most Innovative
1 winner

NYU Merch & sweet treats!

Most Lovable
1 winner

Lovable Sponsored Gift Boxes

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Amal Shaheedi

Amal Shaheedi
Visual Content Designer/ Adobe

Jenny Wen

Jenny Wen
Designer/ Anthropic

Yulin Liu

Yulin Liu
UX Researcher/ Meta

Erica Kong

Erica Kong
Product Designer/ Uber

Judging Criteria

  • Problem Understanding
    Clearly identifies a relevant sustainability problem and user need.
  • Impact & Purpose
    Demonstrates potential for meaningful environmental or behavioral impact.
  • User Experience
    Offers an intuitive, accessible, and thoughtful interaction flow.
  • Innovation & Feasibility
    Balances creativity with realistic execution and scalability.
  • Presentation & Storytelling
    Clearly communicates the process, insights, and final design.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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Hackathon sponsors

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