About the challenge
cuHacking7 is the long awaited return of Carleton University's premiere hackathon.
Join over 300 students working in teams (up to 4 people) to design, build, and demo a project in 36 hours. Throughout the event there are many beginner-to-pro workshops, tech talk from speakers in the working in the field, opportunities to meet and talk to sponsors and potentially land jobs and ofcourse fun and exciting events for you to make new friends, destress, and network with industry professionals.
Dates
July 10-12th 2026
Spirit of the Competition
Remember that hackathons are like marathons. Some people go to compete, but most people take part to better themselves and have fun. Whatever the reason is you're at a hackathon, make sure you're upholding the hacker spirt and Community Values by collaborating with other teams, helping beginners, and having fun.
Requirements
What to Submit
- Project Details: Team name, Project name, a tagline, and a description detailing the problem you are addressing, the solution and it's impact.
- Technical Details: Code repository (e.g. GitHub link), technologies used, and a brief explanation of how it works.
- Supporting Materials: Presentations, design links, or brainstorming diagrams that demonstrate your design and architecture features. A 2-minute video is also highly recommended -- this can be a demo, slideshow, or whatever you think is best (although demo is recommended!)
- Maximum team size of 4
Prizes
1st - Best Overall Hack
24", 120Hz Monitor
MLH Gold Winner Pin
2nd - Best Overall Hack
Mechanical Keyboard
MLH Gold Winner Pin
3rd - Best Overall Hack
Soundcore Mini Speakers
MLH Gold Winner Pin
Best Hardware Hack
Hardware Toolkit
Best AI Hack
20000mAh Portable Charger
People's Choice
$20 Amazon Gift Cards
Marketing Challenge
Merry Dairy Giftcard
Take any photos or videos of their experience at cuHacking, either hacking, going to events, networking etc. then compile it into either a google drive of media or like a video in the discord channel once submissions open, and then winner is based on which submission the organizers liked the most
QNX Challenge
1st, 2nd and 3rd place pick prizes from a pool of technology goodies worth $2000 in total
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
Keyboards
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
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
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 DigitalOcean
Retro Wireless Mouse
DigitalOcean offers a reliable and easy-to-use cloud platform for every stage of your project. Leverage core services like Droplets, Managed Databases, and App Platform to build, deploy, and scale your application effortlessly. Building with AI? DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI enables you to build, train, and deploy machine learning models, including access to GPU infrastructure and serverless inference!
Sign up for DigitalOcean today and get $200 worth of free credits that you can use towards building your next great hack. Build with DigitalOcean's robust cloud infrastructure for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your teammates!
[MLH] Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
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 group.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
cuHacking Team
Judging Criteria
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Creativity & Innovation
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Impact and Potential
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Execution and Completeness
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Presentation And Pitch
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Overview
Judging will be done Science Fair style, with each team getting a few minutes to present, and a few minutes for questions (exact timings TBD based on time constraints)
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Invite others to compete
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