Neighborhood Hacks 2026, online hackathon for high school students
Week long online hackathon for high school students who build tools for their own community. Prizes worth $57,866, mostly credits. Closes 23 October 2026.
Neighborhood Hacks is a global online hackathon where high school students use technology to fix real problems in their own communities. The 2026 edition runs for one week on Devpost, from 16 October to 23 October 2026.
The prize list is valued at more than $57,866, but most of it is software credits and licenses. The Grand Prize package is worth $10,468 and includes $125 in cash plus software credits from sponsors. Second place is worth $4,449 with $25 in cash. Third place is worth $2,674. Two category awards, Most Unique Solution and Best Technical Execution, are worth $750 each in licenses.
The event is open to high school students or the equivalent, aged 13 to 21, from anywhere in the world. You can register alone or with a team, and team members can come from different schools. Organizers, judges and their close family cannot take part.
Projects can follow one of six tracks: health and well being, environment and sustainability, education and access, safety and emergency response, civic engagement, and accessibility and inclusion. Any project that helps your community is accepted. You submit a project name, a short pitch, a full written description, a demo video of two to six minutes and a link to a public code repository.
Submissions close on 23 October 2026 at 11:59 PM CST. The written description must answer one question: what is the specific problem, and how do you know it is real? The organizers call this the most important part of the entry. Judging runs in three rounds, ending with professional and student judges who pick the top three and the two category awards.
Quick answers
Can I plan my project before the hacking week?
You can come up with ideas and plan before the event. Code, designs and content must be made during the hacking period.
Can I use AI coding assistants?
Yes. Open source libraries, APIs and AI coding assistants are allowed, but you must say in your submission that you used them.
Are the prizes paid in cash?
Mostly not. Only the first and second places include a small cash part. The rest of the value is software credits, licenses and certificates.