October 3-4, 2026
University Center, University of Michigan-Dearborn
24 Hours | In Person | Free to Attend

Hack Dearborn returns for its fifth year with Hack Dearborn: Conjure Reality. That's 24 hours of building, learning, experimenting and turning imagination into something real.

Hosted by the Google Developer Group on Campus at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Hack Dearborn brings together hundreds of students, developers, designers, engineers, creators and first-time hackers for one weekend.

Whether this is your first time writing code or your tenth hackathon, Hack Dearborn is a place to experiment, meet new people, learn new technologies and create something you're proud of.

This year, we challenge hackers to Conjure Reality. Take an idea that exists only in your imagination and turn it into something people can see, experience, use or learn from.

Important: registration

You must apply through the official Hack Dearborn website to attend: hackdearborn.org/apply

Joining the event on Devpost does not register you for the in-person hackathon or guarantee you a place. Every member of your team must complete the official Hack Dearborn application and meet the eligibility requirements.

Tracks

Shaping Society. Technology for a more equitable, sustainable world. Develop solutions that improve access to healthcare, clean water, food security, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability or crisis response. Aim for practical, scalable solutions that put equity and long-term impact first.

Enchanted Transit. Intelligent systems that move across land, air and sea. Explore smart, connected transportation, from futuristic cars to advanced aircraft and connected transit, to make travel safer, faster and more efficient.

Mindscapes. Immersive experiences that redefine how we learn. Build tools and platforms that make education more effective, engaging and personalized, from AI-powered study aids and interactive apps to smarter classroom technology.

Ideation Matrix. The wildcard track. Conjure anything. This track is for ideas that defy categories: bold, unconventional projects that rethink what technology can do and blur the line between reality and imagination.

Schedule

Saturday, October 3

9:00 AM: Check-in and breakfast (RUC Hallway)
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM: Sponsor fair and professional headshots (RUC Hallway)
11:15 AM: Opening ceremony (Kochoff Hall). Attendance is mandatory.
12:00 PM: Hacking begins
12:00 PM: Lunch (McKinley Cafe)
1:00 PM: Technical mentor tables (Kochoff Hall)
6:00 PM: GitHub workshop (RUC 1225)
7:00 PM: Dinner (McKinley Cafe)
8:00 PM: MLH Cup Stacking (RUC Stage)
11:00 PM: Building entry closes. No re-entry after 11 PM.

Sunday, October 4

12:00 AM: Register your team's project on Devpost by midnight. You can keep editing until noon.
12:00 AM: Midnight snack and game night
8:00 AM: Breakfast (McKinley Cafe)
9:30 AM: MLH workshop: How to Demo (RUC 1225)
12:00 PM: Hacking ends. Devpost submissions lock.
12:00 PM: Lunch (McKinley Cafe)
1:30 PM to 3:30 PM: Judging expo (Kochoff Hall)
4:00 PM: Closing ceremony and awards (ELB Atrium)

Prizes

1st Place: Nintendo Switch 2
2nd Place: Meta Quest 3S
3rd Place: Bose QuietComfort Headphones
Shaping Society: Kodak PIXPRO FZ45
Enchanted Transit: Garmin Dash Cam Mini 3
Mindscapes: Fitbit Charge 6
Ideation Matrix: Wacom One S

There's also a raffle with more than 15 prizes, open to every hacker during the weekend.

Team size

Teams can have 1 to 4 hackers. Come alone, bring a team or find teammates at Hack Dearborn. We'll set aside time before hacking begins for people looking for a team. Every team member must be registered individually and be eligible.

Questions

Email info@hackdearborn.org or join our Discord. More at hackdearborn.org.

Requirements

What to Build

You have 24 hours to turn an idea into a working project.

Your project can be almost anything:

A web or mobile application
An AI-powered product
A hardware prototype
An embedded or IoT system
A game
An AR/VR or immersive experience
A transportation solution
An educational technology
A sustainability project
A civic or social-impact platform
A developer tool
A completely experimental idea we haven't thought of yet

You do not need to arrive with a finished idea.

You do not need to be an experienced developer.

Hackathons are about building, learning, experimenting, collaborating, and trying something new.

At the end of the hacking period, teams will present what they created to our judges.

What to Submit

To be considered for judging, your team must submit a completed Devpost project before the submission deadline.

Your submission should include:

1. Project Name - Give your creation a name.

2. Project Description

Tell us:

What your project does
What inspired it
Who it is for
How it works
What technologies you used
Challenges you encountered
What your team learned
What you're proud of
What you would build next

3. Track

Select the Hack Dearborn track your project is entering:

Shaping Society
Enchanted Transit
Mindscapes
Ideation Matrix

Unless otherwise announced, a project should compete in one primary Hack Dearborn track.

Sponsor challenges may have their own eligibility requirements.

4. Source Code

Provide a publicly accessible source-code repository containing the code created for your project.

Your repository should clearly distinguish your team's work from external libraries, starter templates, APIs, datasets, models, or other third-party resources.

5. Technologies Used

List the major technologies behind your hack, including relevant:

Languages
Frameworks
APIs
Cloud platforms
Hardware
Databases
AI models
AI development tools

6. Project Images

Upload screenshots or photos that help judges and other hackers understand your project.

7. Demo

Your team must be prepared to demonstrate the project during the in-person judging period. A working demonstration is strongly encouraged.

It does not need to be production-ready.

Show us what you built, what works, what you attempted, and what you learned.

8. Demo Video [OPTIONAL]

Teams may include a short project demonstration video on their Devpost submission.

9. Presentation

Teams may prepare a short presentation to support their demonstration, but the primary focus of judging remains on the project itself.

Hack Dearborn: Conjure Reality

Prize breakdown

Timeline

About