HACKMESA 2026 unites 16 community colleges across Southern California for a 24-hour hackathon in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. Our mission is simple: prove that groundbreaking tech isn't just built at four-year universities. With workshops, mentorship, and thousands in prizes, HACKMESA empowers community college students to build real projects, gain industry experience, and launch their tech careers.

Requirements

🔥 HACKMESA Project Submission Outline 1. Project Name

A short, catchy title that reflects your project.

2. Reason for Making the Project (Inspiration/Problem Statement)
  • What inspired your team to build this?

  • What problem are you trying to solve?

  • Who does it help and how?

3. Project Description
  • What does your project do?

  • How do users interact with it?

  • Any special features, unique innovations, or standout aspects?

4. Tech Stack

List of tools, languages, and frameworks used. Examples:

  • Frontend: React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS

  • Backend: Node.js, Express, Supabase, Firebase

  • Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB

  • Other Tools: Docker, OpenAI API, Figma

5. Source Code / Devpost Link
  • GitHub or GitLab repository (include frontend/backend links if separate)

  • Any deployment/hosted links (demo video, live site, etc.)

6. (Optional) Challenges & Future Plans
  • What were the biggest challenges your team faced?

  • What do you plan to improve if given more time?

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$4,700+ in prizes
+ other prizes
1st Place
$2,000 in cash
1 winner

2nd Place
$1,500 in cash
1 winner

3rd Place
$1,000 in cash
1 winner

Best Beginner Hack
1 winner

Awarded to the best project created entirely by first-time hackers (all team members must be first-time participants).

Best Technical Implementation
1 winner

Recognizes the project with the most impressive technical execution.

Best UI/UX
1 winner

Awarded for excellence in user interface design and overall user experience.

Most Innovative
1 winner

Given to the project that demonstrates the highest level of creativity and originality.

Best Game Development
1 winner

Must be in the Gaming / Entertainment Track and must be related to games. 4 Tickets to LA Dodgers Game

Best Use of Eleven Labs
1 winner

Prize: 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!

Best Use of Gemini API
1 winner

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?

Best Use of Snowflake API
1 winner

Prize: Raspberry Pi 4

Play with industry-leading LLMs on a single account using the Snowflake APIs. Adding AI capabilities into your application can be as simple as a single CURL command to Snowflake’s REST API.

Build customized applications, RAG powered chat bots, or embed AI-powered features into your app in half the time with half the hassle. Get started for free with a special, student 120-day Snowflake trial and check out this repository for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.

Best Use of Solana
1 winner

Prize: 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!

Best Use of Vultr
1 winner

Prize: 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!

Hologram Lab - AI UGC Ad Research Agent
$200 in cash
1 winner

Build an AI agent that generates high-performing ad ideas by analyzing top UGC content in your industry. Given a brand description and style preferences, the agent researches winning ads, extracts patterns, and outputs tailored creative directions.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Stephen Cropper

Stephen Cropper

Judging Criteria

  • Presentation

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.