Best Overall

Nintendo Switches for each team member!

Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Impact: Is this a product that people will use in their daily lives? Will it make lives better?
2. Innovation and Creativity: Is this project unique and innovative? Is it a solution to a problem we have never seen before? A better way of doing something?
3. Technical Difficulty: How difficult was it to implement this project? Are there lots of APIs and libraries and languages involved? Did you use a really cool algorithm?
4. Refined: Is your hack polished? Is it easy to use? Create a streamlined hack that looks as great as it functions!

Athena's Favorite

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Cameras with film packs for each team member!

Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Impact: Is this a product that people will use in their daily lives? Will it make lives better?
2. Innovation and Creativity: Is this project unique and innovative? Is it a solution to a problem we have never seen before? A better way of doing something?
3. Technical Difficulty: How difficult was it to implement this project? Are there lots of APIs and libraries and languages involved? Did you use a really cool algorithm?
4. Refined: Is your hack polished? Is it easy to use? Create a streamlined hack that looks as great as it functions!

Best Beginner

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live for each team member!

Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Impact: Is this a product that people will use in their daily lives? Will it make lives better?
2. Innovation and Creativity: Is this project unique and innovative? Is it a solution to a problem we have never seen before? A better way of doing something?
3. Technical Difficulty: How difficult was it to implement this project? Are there lots of APIs and libraries and languages involved? Did you use a really cool algorithm?
4. Refined: Is your hack polished? Is it easy to use? Create a streamlined hack that looks as great as it functions!

Pinnacle Hack Winner at AthenaHacks

Submit a hack to this category to be considered for Pinnacle, the Olympics of Hackathons. More information can be found on our website at https://pinnacle.us.org/. All team members must be at least 18 years old.
♚ Tickets to Pinnacle, the Olympics of Hackathons, in Fall 2021. Full travel reimbursement to the event included.

Best Use of Azure for Social Good Sponsored by Microsoft

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate & LinkedIn Learning Membership, $1000 donation to charity for the entire team

Any team that chooses to enter will evaluated on the following criteria:
1. Was the project developed using Microsoft Azure and did it have a positive impact? (required for entry)
2. Does the project address a clear need, problem, or opportunity and is the solution clearly explained? (10 points)
3. Does the project include innovations in technical design and/or implementation of services (e.g., Cognitive Services, Bot Services, IoT Hub, Functions) and/or user experience? (20 points)
4. Does the project have a clear target market or audience? (5 points)
5. Is the project’s purpose and basic functionality easily understood? (5 points)
6. Does the project have a professional degree of production in terms of performance, user interface, visuals, and audio? (10 points)
Winner is highest total score out of 50
Tie-break: Does the team have a credible plan for getting their project to market in terms of business model, any required partnerships, or other factors?

Best Entertainment Hack Sponsored by Disney

Prize: 4 Disney Gift Cards with $500 each (for Disney Park Tickets, Disney Hotel Reservations, Shop at Shop Disney and/or to buy a Disney+ subscription)

Disney’s mission is to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world's premier entertainment company. The magic of storytelling, collaboration and imagination started the Walt Disney Company and it has since been at the core of everything we do and create ever since.

This year, Disney will be awarding the ‘Best Entertainment Hack’ to the team who submits the best use of collaboration and storytelling with their project submittal.

There is no specific framework/language the individual/team should use. The judges are looking for a very open ended project, but the teams should keep in mind that creativity and storytelling is essential.

Best Mobile Hack Sponsored by Zynga

Portable projectors for each team member!

Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Usage on a mobile device – does this run on mobile?
- Impact – Is this something that will have a use in everyday life?
- Innovation and Creativity – Is this something that is innovative and new, is it something that hasn’t been seen before?
- Technical – how much technical effort needed to be put in to bring this app to life?
Presentation – final presentation of the project. Is it something that is finished/how much more would need to be done to make this project complete?

Best Hack In Finance Sponsored by Bloomberg

A Bose portable speaker for each team member!

We're looking for a full stack application that makes use of real-time data, financial information, or the like in order to empower users by bringing transparency to the market. Examples could include a consumer product marketplace, a stock-trend visualization tool, or a sentiment analysis platform. You can use any language or framework.

Best AR/VR Application Using the echoAR Platform, Sponsored by echoAR

CHALLENGE: Build the best AR/VR application using the echoAR platform!

FREE RESOURCE: For FREE access to all Business Plan features, register to the platform here:
https://console.echoar.xyz/#/auth/register-hackathon?code=AthenaHacks

PRIZES: By creating a project with echoAR you will enter to win:
1. A $50 Amazon gift card (per team);
2. 3-month free Business Tier access (per team member); and
3. Selected projects will be featured on our “Inspiration” page

Participants MUST use the echoAR platform as part of their project to be eligible for a reward.

ANY QUESTIONS?
echoAR documentation: https://docs.echoar.xyz/
echoAR Slack support channel: https://go.echoar.xyz/join
echoAR Github repository: https://github.com/echoARxyz
echoAR workshop recording: https://youtu.be/VRqi3TBkolM

Best Domain Registered with Domain.com - MLH

Register a .tech, .space, or .online domain name using Domain.com during the weekend. Each team may submit one entry per person on the team. Each winning team member will receive a PowerSquare Qi Wireless Phone Charger & Domain.com Backpack.

Best Use of Google Cloud - MLH

Build your hackathon project with a suite of secure storage, powerful compute, and integrated data analytics products provided by Google Cloud. See full list of products here: g.co/cloud. Each winning team member located in the US will receive a Google Cloud Swag Bag complete with a beanie, pillow, journal, socks and lanyards. International winners will receive a Google branded Parkland backpack.

Best Hardware Hack Sponsored by Digi-Key - MLH (2)

Using your preferred hardware or hardware emulator, build a hack for your chance to win a Grove Beginner Kit, with Arduino Uno R3 included. We select two winning teams for this category. Each winning team member will receive a prize!

Best Use of CockroachDB - MLH

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 each team member. What's more, ALL projects submitted that use CockroachDB will receive a free t-shirt!