## 🏝️ About DreamHacks 2026

**DreamHacks 2026** is a free, statewide high school hackathon hosted on the Georgia Tech campus. Designed to inspire the next generation of builders, problem-solvers, and innovators, DreamHacks brings together high school students from across Georgia for a high-energy day of building, learning, and collaboration.

Whether you have never written a line of code or you’re an experienced developer, DreamHacks provides the resources, mentorship, and community to help you bring your ideas to life!

---

### 🌴 2026 Theme: *Island*

This year’s overarching theme is **Island**. We challenge participants to build creative technology that:

* 🌊 Supports isolated or underrepresented communities

* 🌱 Promotes environmental sustainability & ocean conservation

* 🚨 Enhances emergency response & disaster relief

* 🚀 Explores new, uncharted digital frontiers

*(Note: Projects in any technical domain are welcome, but theme-aligned projects qualify for special prize consideration!)*

---

### 🤝 Powered by Georgia Tech Student Collaborators

We are excited to partner with top student organizations from Georgia Tech to bring you an unforgettable experience:

* **Bytefight at GT:** Hosting a pre-hackathon 1-week online AI & bot challenge to warm up your skills before event day, plus a hands-on technical workshop!

* **Women @ College of Computing (W@CC):** Leading inclusive, beginner-friendly programming, mentorship sessions, and diversity-focused tracks.

---

### ✨ What to Expect

* **⚡ Pre-Event Online Sprint:** Kick off early with Bytefight’s online challenge to score bonus points and leaderboard prizes!

* **🛠️ Beginner-Friendly Workshops:** Interactive sessions led by GT students to jumpstart your coding journey.

* **🧠 1-on-1 Mentorship:** Get direct feedback and troubleshooting help from Georgia Tech CS majors.

* **🐝 GT Campus Tour:** Take an exclusive tour of the Georgia Tech College of Computing and campus grounds!

* **🍕 Free Food, Swag & Prizes:** Complimentary meals, MLH swag, and awards across multiple track categories.

---

### ❓ FAQ

* **Who can attend?** High school students of all skill levels across Georgia.

* **Do I need prior coding experience?** Absolutely not! We have dedicated beginner tracks, introductory workshops, and mentors ready to help you every step of the way.

* **What is the team size?** You can work individually or in teams of up to 4 students. If you don't have a team, we’ll help you find one during team formation!

* **Is the event free?** Yes! DreamHacks is 100% free for all admitted participants, including meals, swag, and workshops.

• Innovation
  Projects should demonstrate creativity and originality by solving a real-world problem or introducing a unique idea. Judges will consider how novel the solution is and whether it provides meaningful value compared to existing alternatives.
• Technical Implementation
  Judges will evaluate the technical complexity, code quality, architecture, and effective use of technologies, APIs, frameworks, or hardware. More challenging implementations that are well executed will receive higher scores.