IceHacks

Submission Guidelines

Who can enter: IceHacks is open to students. Teams can have 1 to 4 members, and each person can be on only one team.

When: Build between Nov 8 and Nov 15, 2026. All work must be started during the hackathon. Submissions are due on Devpost by the deadline on Nov 15, 2026. Late submissions are not accepted.

What to build: Anything that solves a problem you care about: software, a web or mobile app, a game, or hardware. AI and vibe-coding tools are welcome and encouraged; just tell us which ones you used.

What to submit (all required):

1. Demo video (required): a public YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku link, 3 minutes or less, showing your project working. Explain the problem, show the demo, and briefly say how you built it. Projects without a working video link will not be judged.
2. Project write-up: what it does, how you built it, challenges you ran into, what you learned, and what's next.
3. Code or live link: a public GitHub repo, or a live demo link judges can open.
4. Built with: the languages, frameworks, AI tools, and sponsor tools you used.
5. Tracks: select every track your project fits.

Tracks: You can apply to as many tracks as your project fits, but each project can win only one track. If a project places in more than one, it receives the highest prize and the other prize goes to the next team.

Judging: Projects are judged asynchronously from Nov 15 to Nov 17 on five equally weighted criteria: Technical Execution, Creativity & Originality, Impact & Usefulness, Design & User Experience, and Presentation.

Fair play: Your project must be your own team's work. You may use open-source libraries, templates, APIs, and AI tools, but you must credit them. Projects that are plagiarized or were built before the hackathon will be disqualified. Be kind and respectful to everyone in the IceHacks community.

IceHacks 2026 Official Rules

1. Eligibility

IceHacks is open to students interested in technology, programming, design, and innovation.

• Participants must register through the official IceHacks Devpost page.

• Participants under 18 must obtain permission from a parent or legal guardian where required.

• All participants must follow the event's rules and code of conduct.

Eligibility: 13+

2. Team Formation

Participants may compete individually or in teams of up to 4 members.

Each participant may join only one team and contribute to one competing submission.

Team members must be registered for IceHacks.

3. Project Development

Projects must be developed primarily during the official hacking period.

Participants may use existing frameworks, APIs, libraries, open-source software, and development tools. Previously developed projects may not be submitted as entirely new work.

Any pre-existing code or significant third-party contributions must be disclosed.

4. Artificial Intelligence

AI tools, including coding assistants and generative AI, are permitted.

Participants must disclose significant AI-generated contributions and remain responsible for understanding and demonstrating their projects.

Judges will evaluate the submitted project and the work completed during the hackathon, not merely the amount of code generated.

5. Originality and Intellectual Property

Participants retain ownership of their original work.

Projects must not knowingly infringe upon another person's intellectual property rights. Any third-party assets, code, or datasets must be used according to their applicable licenses.

By submitting, participants grant CodeStarters permission to display their project name, description, and submitted demonstration for event-related promotion, subject to the final published rules.

6. Submission Deadline

All projects must be submitted through Devpost before Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM PT.

Late or incomplete submissions may be disqualified.

7. Judging

Eligible projects will be evaluated according to the judging criteria published on the IceHacks Devpost page.

Participants may be asked to provide additional information or demonstrate their projects to judges.

8. Code of Conduct

IceHacks is committed to providing a respectful and inclusive environment for everyone.

Harassment, discrimination, bullying, threats, hate speech, and other abusive behavior are prohibited.

Participants must respect fellow hackers, organizers, mentors, judges, and sponsors. Cheating, plagiarism, deliberate misrepresentation, and attempts to interfere with other participants' work are prohibited.

Report any concerns to [email protected]

Organizers may issue warnings, remove participants from event communication channels, or disqualify submissions for violations.

9. Prizes

Any prizes will be awarded according to the published prize descriptions and eligibility requirements.

10. Organizer Decisions

CodeStarters reserves the right to investigate rule violations and disqualify entries that do not meet the published requirements, subject to applicable law.

Any material changes to the event rules or schedule will be communicated to registered participants.