12 months ago
DreamHacks 2025: Innovate for Impact Hackathon, Today 7 PM!
IMPORTANT: Please read the full email as all the instructions here are necessary for you to participate in the hackathon.
The date you have been waiting for is here! Our opening ceremony is today, 5/16/2025, at 7 - 7:20 PM CST. You will be able to ask any questions that we have not addressed during the opening ceremony.
The prompt will be revealed at the opening ceremony, and you will have until Sunday, 5/18/2025, 11:59 PM to turn in your solutions through DevPost. The Zoom invitation is attached below.
For your submission to be accepted, we need the link to your GitHub database and a 2-4 minute video explaining your project, in which you have to meet all the criteria indicated in the rubric.
Judging Criteria
|
Category |
Weight |
Criteria Description |
Scoring Guide (1–10) |
|
Innovation |
20% |
How original and creative the idea is. Does it solve a real problem in a novel way? |
1 = Unoriginal or common idea 10 = Groundbreaking and highly inventive solution |
|
Technical Implementation |
30% |
Quality of code, architecture, and use of technologies. How well is the solution built from a technical standpoint? |
1 = Poor code quality or minimal functionality 10 = Technically strong and refined |
|
Scalability |
10% |
Potential to grow the project for wider use. Is the solution adaptable to larger audiences or different contexts? |
1 = Not scalable or context-limited 10 = Highly scalable and versatile |
|
Presentation |
20% |
Effectiveness of the pitch/video. Is the explanation clear, engaging, and informative? |
1 = Confusing or poorly explained 10 = Clear, professional, and compelling |
|
Relevance to the Theme |
20% |
How well the project addresses the hackathon prompt related to social good. |
1 = Loosely or not related to theme 10 = Directly and meaningfully tackles the theme |
The Hackathon Judging Panel consists of multiple professionals who have contributed greatly to the software field:
- Arokiaraj Irudyaraj - Director of Data Analytics and AI at Insurity
- Vishal Raman - Machine Learning Engineer @ Radian
- Balajee Asish Brahmandam - Senior Engineering Manager @ Charles Schwab
- Bhanu Prakash Reddy Rella - Senior Software Engineer @ Walmart
- Jing Dong - Machine Learning Scientist @ Microsoft
- Arjun Chakraborty - Principal Applied AI Engineer
- Xiaochan Xu - Software Engineer @ DoorDash
- Ashwin Das - Senior Engineering Manager at Adobe
- Hitesh Saai Mananchery - Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Expedia Group
- Raju Dandigam - Engineering Manager at Navan
Workshops
- Research on AI and ML operations - Balajee Asish Brahmandam on Saturday, 5/17, 10:00 AM CST
- Live software/work related Q&A session - Jing Dong on Saturday, 5/17, 10:30 AM CST
These professionals took the time to help you increase your knowledge. Please join as it will be a great experience and you will be able to ask questions.
Prizes
All prizes are listed on our DevPost page: https://dreamhacks-2025.devpost.com/
Everyone will receive a certificate (indicating any awards you have won), highlighting your commitment to creating a good solution to showcase.
Winners will be announced on May 25, 2025. Any prizes won will be distributed in the week after we announce the winners.
Zoom Invitation for Opening Ceremony:
Naga Harshith Borra is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: DreamHacks 2025 Opening Ceremony 7 PM
Time: May 16, 2025 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/89291513270?pwd=08fpeGwa9cz0CAYUJI8T7viCJ1nRXC.1
View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion
https://us05web.zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=2e7a2664-532e-49d4-8920-3efbc1c50682
Meeting ID: 892 9151 3270
Passcode: 6kS0uN