SASEhack is a hackathon for college students, undergraduate and graduate. Any major, any experience level. You do not need to know how to code to take part.
Your hacking window is Friday, September 18 at 5:00 PM PT to Sunday, September 20 at 11:59 PM PT — about 55 hours. All project code must be written inside that window.
SASEhack runs under STEM Connect, SASE’s flagship national convention, October 1-3, 2026 in Seattle, WA.
Two competitions
| Competition | When | Who takes part |
|---|---|---|
| Online competition | September 18-20, fully remote | Everyone. Every project submitted here is judged. Nobody has to travel. |
| SASEhack Pitch Competition | October 1, Seattle | A selected group of teams, invited after judging. At least one member must already hold a STEM Connect convention ticket. |
You can win without ever going to Seattle. The two competitions are judged separately.
Who can enter
- Undergraduate and graduate students
- Enrolled at a U.S. college or university — any nationality; international students studying in the U.S. are welcome
- 18 or older at the time of the hackathon
- Any major, any experience level — no coding background needed
Teams are 1 to 4 people. You can enter alone, but we recommend at least two — every winning team so far has had two or more members. Find teammates in #sasehack-team-formation in the SASE Discord.
Prizes — about $3,700 total
| Prize | Award | Who’s eligible |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prize | $1,000 cash | Every project submitted online |
| Runner-up | $750 cash | Every project submitted online |
| SASEhack Pitch Competition | $500 cash + merch for every finalist | Teams invited to pitch live in Seattle |
| Best First Hack | $200 cash | Teams where most members are first-time hackers |
| Track prizes × 5 | About $250 of value each | Projects entered in that track |
Cash prizes are split evenly among team members. Physical prizes are duplicated so everyone on the team gets one.
Tracks
| Track | What it’s for | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Best Hardware Hack | Build something physical. Sensors, microcontrollers, robotics, wearables. A phone sensor or a cheap board counts. | ELEGOO UNO R3 Starter Kit |
| Best Design Hack | For projects where the design does the heavy lifting. Craft counts more than technical depth here. | Wacom Intuos drawing tablet |
| Best Education, Accessibility, or Social Impact | For projects serving people badly served by what already exists. Name who you built it for. | Sony WH-CH520 headphones |
| Best Finance Hack | Anything to do with money. It doesn’t have to be bank grade, just make a financial decision easier or clearer. | $250 cash |
| Spirit of Charge Up | Carries this year’s STEM Connect theme. Build something that gives a person or a community a boost. No entry needed. | Anker Nano power bank |
You opt in to tracks and prizes when you submit, and you can enter up to two tracks. See the Submission Requirements for what to submit and how to opt in.
Schedule
All times are Pacific Time (PT).
| Day | Time | What |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Sept 18 | 4:00-5:00 PM | Kickoff and opening ceremony |
| 5:00 PM | Hacking begins | |
| 6:00-8:00 PM | Office hours | |
| Sat, Sept 19 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | Office hours |
| 2:00-3:00 PM | Workshop: How to Perfect Your Pitch | |
| 4:00-5:00 PM | Social / lounge | |
| 6:00-8:00 PM | Office hours | |
| Sun, Sept 20 | 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | Office hours |
| 6:00-8:00 PM | Final checks | |
| 8:00-10:00 PM | Office hours | |
| 10:00 PM-12:00 AM | Office hours | |
| 11:59 PM | Hacking ends and submissions close |
Office hours run in the Discord — no Zoom link needed. Gaps between blocks are heads-down hacking time.
After the hackathon
- Judging runs September 21-30. Teams invited to pitch in Seattle are notified after submissions close.
- Thursday, October 1 — SASEhack Pitch Competition, Seattle
- Friday, October 2 — Winners announced
Pre-event workshops
Both ran before kickoff and were recorded. Slides and recordings are in #sasehack-resources in the Discord.
- AI Tools for Development — Wednesday, September 16
- GitHub for Collaboration — Thursday, September 17
Where everything happens
Discord is the hub — announcements, schedule, help channels, office hours, and team formation. Join the SASE Discord.
Full details
Everything is in the SASEhack 2026 Hacker Guide — schedule, judging criteria, prizes, rules, FAQ, and accessibility.
Requirements
One person per team creates the submission on Devpost and adds the rest of the team to it.
Everyone listed on your Devpost submission must also have registered at the SASEhack Registration Form. If a teammate has not, it can hold up prize money for the whole team. Check this before you submit — contact us with any questions.
What you need to submit
| Item | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project name | Yes | |
| All team members | Yes | Added to the Devpost submission, and each one registered via the form above |
| Project description | Yes | Spend real time on this. Judges read it, and a clear write-up with screenshots will do more for you than a rushed one. |
| Presentation / demo video | Yes — 5 minutes MAX | YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku links. Record however you like (Zoom, MS Teams, anything else). Factor recording and editing time into your weekend. |
| Public GitHub repository | Yes | Include a README. Should contain all code, blueprints, and schematics. A private or missing repo can get you disqualified. |
| Slides | Yes | Google Slides preferred |
| Live deployed link | Optional | A nice plus, not required |
| Screenshots, graphs, visuals | Optional | Helpful — judges read the description, and visuals carry it |
Opting in to tracks and prizes
Tracks are the themed challenge categories inside the online competition — the five are listed with their prizes in the hackathon description. You opt in when you submit.
- Tracks — tick up to two. If you tick more than two, only the first two listed will be scored. A forced or superficial connection to a theme scores poorly; the theme should be core to what you built.
- SASEhack Pitch Competition — tick it to be considered for the live pitch in Seattle. Does not count toward your two.
- Best First Hack — tick it if most of your team has never submitted a project to a hackathon before. Does not count toward your two.
- Spirit of Charge Up — nothing to tick. Every submitted project is considered automatically.
If your team wants to be considered for the Seattle pitch
In your submission, list which of your team members will be in Seattle. At least one member must already hold a STEM Connect convention ticket to be eligible — we cannot cover travel or convention registration.
How judging works
Every project submitted online is judged after the hackathon ends. You do not have to do anything extra to be included.
Projects are scored on:
- Technical execution
- Creativity and innovation
- UI/UX and design
- Real-world impact and viability
- Pitch, demo, and presentation
We do not publish the exact weights, so build a project that is strong all round rather than optimising for one box.
Hardware-based projects are welcome. No starter kit is provided this year given the virtual format.
For examples, see the SASEhack Fall 2025 project gallery.
Prizes
Grand Prize
Runner-Up
SASEhack Pitch Competition
Best First Hack
Best Hardware Hack
Best Design
Best Education, Accessibility, or Social Impact
Best Finance Hack
Spirit of Charge Up
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
IsoKnock
Judging Criteria
-
Creativity and innovation
How original is the idea? A fresh angle on a problem does better than a well-executed version of a project judges have seen many times before. -
Technical execution
How well was it built? We look for something that actually runs, code that's yours, and a clear explanation of how you put it together. Beginners aren't penalized for scope - a working prototype built honestly from scratch scores well. -
Pitch, demo, and presentation
How well did you communicate the vision? The strongest submissions tell a clear story, demo the thing actually working, and skip the dense jargon. -
Real-world impact and viability
Does it solve a real problem, for real people, in a way that could plausibly scale or continue past the weekend? -
UI/UX and design
How usable is it? We look for an intuitive flow, a coherent visual identity, and attention to accessibility.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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