About the challenge

Southwest MN Hacks: is Marshall's student hackathon. A beginner-friendly, 24-hour event where students come together to turn ideas into real projects.

Join us on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Upper Conference Center, Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), Marshall, MN.

Students from high schools, community colleges, and universities will work in small teams (up to 4 people) to build technology solutions to real-world problems. By the end of the event, teams demo what they built, whether that's a website, mobile app, automation tool, data project, or AI prototype.

No experience necessary. This event is designed for first-time hackers just as much as experienced developers.

The Challenge: Teams will tackle a real-world problem drawn from the kinds of challenges local and regional companies face. The challenge will be announced at the opening ceremony.

What's Included (FREE)

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks throughout the day
T-shirts and event swag
Mentorship and technical support from SMSU Computer Science faculty
Workshops and starter resources
Plaques and medals for the top 5 teams

Get started

Who Can Participate:

Ages 14+ (high school, community college, and university students)
All skill levels welcome, from complete beginners to experienced developers
Teams of 1 to 4 people (solo participants will be matched with a team)

How to Register: Visit southwestmnhacks.org to register. Registration is free.

Schedule

Saturday, September 12

8:00 AM - Check-in and breakfast
9:00 AM - Opening ceremony and challenge reveal
10:00 AM - Hacking begins
12:00 PM - Lunch
6:00 PM - Dinner

Sunday, September 13

8:00 AM - Submissions due on Devpost
8:30 AM - Project demos and judging
9:30 AM - Awards ceremony
10:00 AM - Event ends

FAQ

Do I need coding experience?
Not at all! Southwest MN Hacks is beginner-friendly. We'll have workshops, mentors, and resources to help you get started. No-code and low-code tools are welcome too.

How much does it cost?
Nothing. Completely free! Registration, meals, snacks, t-shirts, and all resources are included.

Do I need a team?
You can register solo and we'll help match you with a team during team formation. Teams can have 1 to 4 members.

What should I bring?
Your laptop, charger, and any devices you want to work with. We provide food, Wi-Fi, power strips, and workspace.

How do I submit my project?
All submissions go through this Devpost page. We'll walk you through the process at the event. Submit before 8:00 AM CT on Sunday, September 13.

Can I use pre-existing code or projects?
You can use open-source libraries and APIs, but your project idea and core implementation must be new, started and built during the hackathon.

Requirements

What to Build

Build a new project that fits one of the challenge tracks announced at the opening ceremony. Each track is based on a real-world business problem.

You can use any programming language, framework, API, or tool. No-code and low-code solutions are also welcome. The only requirement is that your project must be started and built during the hackathon (September 12-13, 2026).

You may use open-source libraries, templates, and APIs, but your core project idea and implementation must be original work created during the event.

What to Submit

All projects must be submitted through this Devpost page by 8:00 AM CT on September 13, 2026. Your submission should include:

Project name and description - Tell us what you built and why.
Challenge Selection - Which challenge did you choose?
Project link - A link to your live demo, GitHub repo, or video walkthrough.
Screenshots or demo video - Show us what your project looks like and how it works.
Team members - List everyone on your team.

We will walk all participants through the Devpost submission process during the event.

Southwest MN Hacks

Prize breakdown

Timeline

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