Welcome to KeanUHackThis 2026 — Dream in AI.
KeanUHackThis is Kean University’s 24-hour in-person hackathon where students come together to build, learn, collaborate, and turn ideas into real projects. Whether you are an experienced builder, a first-time hacker, a designer, a developer, or someone simply curious about technology and innovation, this event is for you.
This year’s theme, Dream in AI, invites participants to imagine how artificial intelligence can be used to create meaningful, impactful, and creative solutions across industries and communities. We encourage projects that explore the future of AI in areas such as education, cybersecurity, healthcare, sustainability, accessibility, business, entertainment, and social good.
Throughout the event, participants will have the opportunity to:
- Build a project from scratch with a team
- Attend workshops and learn from industry professionals
- Connect with sponsors, mentors, and fellow students
- Showcase their project to judges
- Compete for prizes and recognition
KeanUHackThis is designed to be welcoming, collaborative, and beginner-friendly. You do not need to be an expert to participate — just come ready to learn, create, and challenge yourself.
Event Details
- Event: KeanUHackThis 2026
- Theme: Dream in AI
- Format: In-person, 24-hour hackathon
- Dates: April 25–26, 2026
- Location: Kean University STEM Building, 1075 Morris Ave, Union, NJ 07083
Participants can expect a full weekend of hacking, networking, creativity, and innovation. More event updates, announcements, logistics, and important information will be shared through our official channels.
We can’t wait to see what you build.
Requirements
To be eligible for judging, each team must submit its project on Devpost before the submission deadline.
Each submission must include:
1. Project Name
Choose a clear and memorable name for your project.
2. Project Description
Explain what your project is, the problem it solves, and why it matters.
3. Team Information
List all team members who contributed to the project.
4. Demo
Provide a demo video, live demo link, or clear screenshots showing your project in action.
5. Built With
List the tools, programming languages, frameworks, APIs, platforms, and technologies used.
6. Repository or Source Link
Include a GitHub repository or another source code link, if applicable.
Project Requirements
- Projects must be built during the hackathon timeframe.
- You may use existing libraries, frameworks, starter templates, and APIs, but the core idea and implementation must be your team’s work during the event.
- Projects should align with the spirit of the event and the Dream in AI theme, although creative interpretations are welcome.
- Teams must submit only one project.
- Incomplete, non-functional, or duplicate submissions may not be eligible for prizes.
- If you use AI tools, models, or third-party APIs in a major way, please clearly disclose that in your submission.
Recommended Submission Tips
- Include screenshots in addition to your written description.
- Make your demo easy to understand.
- Clearly explain the problem, solution, technical approach, and impact.
- Highlight what makes your project unique.
Prizes
1st Place
$500 per member.
2nd Place
$300 per member.
3rd Place
$200 per member.
[MLH] Best Use of Gemma 4
Google Swag Kits
Leverage Gemma 4 through the Google Gemini APIs with your choice of Google's latest open weight models. Choose from four different models, including "Effective" and "Mixture-of-Experts (MoE)" models.
Gemma 4 is released under the Apache 2.0 license, which is a big deal for developers. It means you can use it for commercial projects, modify the code, and distribute it without having to pay royalties to Google or share your own proprietary data.
Gemma 4 is the ultimate open-source toolkit for building advanced AI features that run fast and privately!
[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 Auth0 AI Agents
Wireless Headphones
As AI agents become more autonomous, security is more critical than ever. We’re looking for the most innovative implementation of Auth0 for AI Agents. Show us how you use Auth0’s robust APIs to manage identities, secure agent-to-user interactions, and protect your application’s integrity.
Why Auth0?
Zero Friction: 7,000 free monthly active users.
Zero Risk: No credit card needed to sign up.
Total Security: Industry-leading MFA and social integrations.
[MLH] Best Use of Snowflake API
Raspberry Pi 4
Play with industry-leading LLMs on a single account using the Snowflake APIs. Adding AI capabilities into your application can be as simple as a single CURL command to Snowflake’s REST API.
Build customized applications, RAG powered chat bots, or embed AI-powered features into your app in half the time with half the hassle. Get started for free with a special, student 120-day Snowflake trial and check out this repository for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.
[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
All Kean Volunteers
Judging Criteria
-
Innovation and Creativity
How original, creative, or unexpected is the idea? Judges will consider whether the team approached the problem in a unique way and whether the project stands out from typical solutions. -
Technical Implementation
How well was the project built from a technical perspective? Judges will evaluate the complexity of the work, quality of execution, and how effectively the team used tools, frameworks, APIs, or AI technologies to create a working solution. -
Impact & Problem Solving
How clearly does the project solve a real problem or address a meaningful need? Judges will look at the usefulness of the solution, the relevance of the problem, and the potential value or impact of the project. -
Design & User Experience
How easy is the project to understand and use? Judges will consider the overall user experience, interface design, flow, accessibility, and whether the project feels polished and thoughtful. -
Completeness & Functionality
How complete and functional is the submission? Judges will evaluate whether the project works as intended, how much was actually built during the hackathon, and whether the final submission clearly shows a usable, demonstrated product. -
Theme Alignment: Dream in AI
How well does the project connect to the Dream in AI theme? Judges will consider how thoughtfully the team incorporated AI, intelligent systems, or AI-inspired ideas into the project and whether that use meaningfully supports the overall solution.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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