DreamHacks 2026 is a free, virtual hackathon bringing together high school students ages 13–18 from around the world to build, learn, and collaborate.

Whether you have never written a line of code or you are already an experienced developer, DreamHacks gives you the mentorship, workshops, and community to turn an idea into a real project.

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

• 🌊 Supports isolated or underrepresented communities

• 🌱 Promotes environmental sustainability and ocean conservation

• 🚨 Enhances emergency response and disaster relief

• 🚀 Explores new, uncharted digital frontiers

Projects in any technical domain are welcome, but theme-aligned projects qualify for special prize consideration!

DreamHacks is organized by Sudhith Mannuru and Arshia Bajaj, with support from Georgia Tech student collaborators.

We are proud to be supported by:

Infosys · Project AAL · Young Connect · Nectura.ai · ArgosX · TigerClub

Bytefight at GT will also host an online AI and bot-building challenge before the event, along with a technical workshop to help participants level up.

• ⚡ Pre-Event Online Sprint: Join Bytefight’s online challenge for bonus prizes and leaderboard recognition.

• 🛠️ Beginner-Friendly Workshops: Learn the fundamentals and get your project started, even with no prior coding experience.

• 🧠 Mentorship: Receive feedback, debugging help, and project guidance from experienced student mentors.

• 🤝 Team Formation: Find collaborators from around the world or compete solo.

• 🏆 Project Showcase & Prizes: Submit your project, share a short demo, and compete for awards across multiple categories.

Who can attend?
High school students ages 13–18 from anywhere in the world.

Do I need prior coding experience?
Absolutely not. We have beginner-friendly workshops, accessible tracks, and mentors available to help you throughout the event.

What is the team size?
You can work independently or in a team of up to four students. Don’t have a team? We’ll help you find one during team formation.

Is the event free?
Yes! DreamHacks is completely free for all admitted participants.

When is DreamHacks?
August 30, 2026 — Virtual. More schedule and submission details will be shared with participants.

• Problem & Impact
  Clearly defines the problem, its importance, and real-world need; identifies the target audience; explains impact, feasibility, and long-term value; and addresses key constraints, risks, and ethical considerations.
• Innovation
  Uses a creative, differentiated approach with thoughtful technology or design choices; includes distinctive features, smart simplification or experimentation, and clear potential to expand into future applications.
• Technical Execution
  Delivers a reliable working prototype with clean, maintainable code; demonstrates appropriate technical depth, architecture, tools, testing, debugging, and a stable live demo.
• Design & User Experience
  Creates an intuitive, polished, accessible experience with clear navigation, consistent visuals, responsive interactions, and easy onboarding for first-time users.
• Presentation & Demo
  Clearly explains the problem, solution, and process through an engaging, confident presentation; gives a focused live demo, answers questions honestly, and shows preparation and teamwork.
• Challenge Track Alignment
  Directly addresses the selected track with features clearly tied to its goals; reflects understanding of track-specific needs, constraints, and opportunities beyond surface-level relevance.
• Problem & Impact
  Clear problem statement with real-world relevance. Defined target audience and context. Explores impact, feasibility, and long-term value while addressing constraints, risks, and ethical considerations.
• Innovation
  Creative approaches and novel tech use that differentiate the project. Demonstrates bold thinking, clever simplification, and strong potential for future expansion or new applications.
• Technical Execution
  Working prototype with clean code and appropriate tech stack. Demonstrates technical depth, stability, and reliability backed by testing, debugging, and iteration.
• Design & User Experience
  Intuitive layout and visual polish with strong accessibility. Features clear onboarding, thoughtful interaction design, and seamless responsiveness for an optimal user experience.
• Presentation & Demo
  Clear explanation and engaging storytelling with a smooth live demo. Shows the ability to answer questions honestly while demonstrating teamwork, preparation, and strong time management.
• Challenge Track Alignment
  Meaningful alignment with the theme track, showing a deep connection between goals and implemented features while effectively navigating track-specific constraints.