Welcome to the tenth iteration of WHACK, the Wellesley College hackathon! Students from colleges throughout the world will come together for 24 hours to turn their ideas into reality.
Whether you’re a seasoned developer or designer, or just starting out as a beginner, there’s something at WHACK for you. We’re absolutely beginner friendly!
You’ll enjoy a weekend of awesome tech, swag, workshops, and mini-events while learning from distinguished speakers, inspiring mentors, and peers. We consider WHACK a success if you make new connections and gain skills that will stay with you long after WHACK is over.
SCHEDULE
Saturday 11/12
10:30-11:00am | Check-In Begins |
11:00-11:30am | Opening Ceremony |
11:30am-12:00pm | Team Formation | Brainstorming |
12:00pm | HACKING BEGINS |
1:00-2:30pm | Lunch |
3:00-3:30pm | Sponsor Meet & Greet |
3:00-4:00pm | Yelp Workshop: What They Don't Tell You About Technical Interviews |
4:00-5:00pm | WIP Workshop: Intro to UI/UX with Figma |
5:00-7:00pm | Dinner |
6:00-7:00pm | Intro to Game Dev Workshop |
7:00-8:00pm | MLH Mini-Event: Capture the Flag (Cybersecurity Challenge!) |
8:00-9:00pm | GDSC Workshop: Intro to Github Workshop |
9:00-10:00pm | Among Us |
10:00-11:00pm | Among Us |
11:00pm | Midnight Snack |
Sunday 11/13
9:30-11:00am | Breakfast |
12:00pm | HACKING ENDS |
12:30-2:30pm | Judging begins |
2:30-3:30pm | Judging ends / deliberations begin |
3:30pm | Closing ceremony / Awards |
Requirements
Video Length
For your video demo submission we require videos be no longer than 3 minutes. Our judges will stop watching after 3 minutes.
International Submission Policy
Any prize awarded to teams will be in US specific (and potentially Canada depending on prize). This includes shipping only to the US and any gift cards in USD.
Cross Event Submission Policy
We will only accept projects completed during WHACK. Any project found to have been completed previous to Nov 6-7 or cross submitted to another hackathon will result in disqualification.
Prizes
$210 in prizes
Most Readily Employable Hack
Prizes: Logitech Mouse!
Best Wellness Hack
Prizes: Stress Balls and Wellness Basket!
Best Community Hack
Prizes: Mini Projector!
Best Beginner Hack
Prizes: Amazon Gift Card!
Most Ambitious Hack
Prizes: Amazon Gift Card!
Best UI Hack
Prizes: Amazon Gift Card!
Best Use of DeSo
$100 worth of $DESO coin, an exclusive DeSo Tumbler, and a YubiKey!
DeSo is the official Web3 sponsor of the MLH Hackathon League and the first Layer 1 blockchain custom-built for decentralized social media applications. While a blockchain like Avalanche costs $0.50+ to store just a 200-character post, the DeSo blockchain is built with custom indexing and storage optimizations which make it 10,000X cheaper to store social content on-chain! In order to qualify for the contest, build a hack that uses the DeSo API. While social media apps are a great fit for DeSo, you can also build financial apps, marketplaces, and more on the DeSo blockchain. To get started, sign up for a DiamondApp account
Most Creative Use of Twilio
Twilio Swag Box & GameGo Console
Twilio allows you to incorporate mobile messaging, phone calls and a ton of other awesome communication features right into your hackathon project using a web service API. Are you building an e-commerce website and want to send text notifications or email confirmations once an order is completed? Or maybe you'd like to verify users based on their mobile numbers? Twilio makes all this possible and more. Build a hack that simplifies your life using any Twilio API for a chance to win some awesome prizes! Get started with $50 in free credit!
Best Domain Name from Domain.com
Domain.com Branded Backpack
Register a .Tech domain name using Domain.com during the weekend for your chance to win a Domain.com branded backpack for you and each member of your team! Each team may submit one entry per person on the team. The more creative the domain the better!
Best Use of CockroachDB
3D Printing Pen
Build your hackathon project on CockroachDB's open source and indestructible SQL database. Utilize CockroachDB in your hack for a chance to win a 3D printing pen for you and each of your team members. What's more, if you submit a verified project and are a US resident, we'll be sending you a free CockroachDB T-shirt while supplies last!
Best Accessibility Hack sponsored by Fidelity
Fidelity Branded Wireless Charger
At Fidelity, accessibility is viewed as a major key to the success of their business, which is why they are challenging you to come up with innovative ways to make tech more accessible! We want you to use your hacking skills to find and build solutions that put opportunities and resources within reach to all communities. The team with the best accessibility hack will win a Fidelity branded wireless charger for each team member!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges

Jordan Tynes
Lecturer in CS, Co-Director of MAS / Wellesley College

Bob Oakes
Principal Software Engineer / CloudZero, Inc.

Fawziyah
MLH Representative

Olivia Giandrea
Student / Wellesley College
Judging Criteria
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Most Readily Employable
-
Best Wellness Hack
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Best Community Hack
-
Best Beginner Hack
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Most Ambitious Hack
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Best UI Hack
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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