THE WINNERS HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN ANNOUNCED!

Dates: Feb. 28th (9 am to 8 pm) and Mar. 7th (4 pm to 8 pm)

About the challenge

The Hackathon Event is a collaborative initiative organized by the Carlsen Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, ACM Sac State and the Hornet Hacks to foster innovation and exploration in the fields Education, Finance, Healthcare, and Sustainability while leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the fields.

This competitive event is designed to bring together students with a passion for hacking and making an impact, encouraging them to develop and innovate using AI in the fields of Education, Finance, Healthcare, and Sustainability. Participants can choose one of the four fields to build in and will generate a solution to a problem in the industry that is AI enabled. The competition is open to teams with a minimum of two member and a maximum of seven, allowing for various collaborative team efforts. Each team will have the opportunity to showcase their projects to a panel of judges, who will evaluate them based on innovation, applicability, technical proficiency, and potential impact. We will have $500 in cash prizes per industry field.

This event aims to provide a platform for students to demonstrate their skills, creativity, and vision in AI, while also promoting a culture of learning and knowledge-sharing among peers.

Day 1: February 28th - 9 am to 8 pm

​During Day 1 of the AI Hackathon you will be oriented to the competition and the guidelines for building and competing. If you do not have a team there will be time and space for team formation.

​The Carlsen Center will be open to be used as workspace as well as scheduled meals with guest speakers from the industry.

Day 2: March 7th - 4 pm to 8 pm

​The second day of the Hackathon will take place a week later. This will be the final presentations where teams will present their solutions and creations in front of a panel of judges. Judges will select winners. Dinner will be provided at the event.

​Sponsors and Partners of the Event: Carlsen Center, Hornet Hacks, and ACM Sac State

Get started

Find team members, brainstorm what industry is of most interest to you, what problems do you see in the industry, come ready to BUILD!

There will be tons of fun, food, and guidance from our mentors. If you haven’t joined a team yet, hop onto this Discord server to start forming one: https://discord.gg/QNBgdBuv4p

• Problem Definition & User Identification
  What specific problem are you addressing, and who is affected by it? Why is this problem important, and what existing gaps need solving?
• Solution Approach & Feasibility
  How does your solution directly address the problem? What technology or methodology ensures feasibility and scalability?
• Technical Innovation & Originality
  Are you building a proprietary model or leveraging existing AI tools? What makes your approach innovative or unique?
• Validation & Performance Metrics
  How did you test and validate your solution’s effectiveness? What key metrics or benchmarks prove its success?
• Potential Impact & Real-World Application
  How does your solution create value for users, industries, or society? What are its scalability and long-term potential?