Opportunity Hack · hackathon
ASU WiCS Hackathon March 2026 - Nonprofit Innovation Challenge - March 28‑29
Join the 2026 ASU WiCS Hackathon, OHack is partnering with Women in Computer Science (WiCS) on March 28‑29 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. Hackers will sprint through a 2-day challenge that pairs teams with real‑world nonprofit problems, guided by industry mentors and a panel of seasoned judges.
This mission‑driven event will help hack innovative tech solutions that empower underserved communities while offering participants hands‑on experience, networking opportunities, and a chance to win cash prizes and industry exposure.
You only need to be a university student at any university - you do not need to be an ASU WiCS Member to participate.
Applications
Step 1
Apply to participate
Join the community! Pick the role that best matches how you'd like to contribute.
Teams
Participating Teams
Event Information
Event Timeline and Stats
Event Timeline
Nonprofit Problems Finalized
Sun, Feb 1, 8:00 PM MST (Mon, Feb 2, 3:00 AM UTC your time)
We are working with our Volunteer Product Managers (vPMs) to create a 3‑slide pitch deck that will be presented at the hackathon along with a Software Requirements Doc (SRD) for each nonprofit.
Nonprofit Problems Announced
Sat, Feb 7, 6:00 PM MST (Sun, Feb 8, 1:00 AM UTC your time)
Check back on this page for nonprofit problems that hackers will work on.
✨ Doors Open
Sat, Mar 28, 8:00 AM MST (Sat, Mar 28, 3:00 PM UTC your time)
Welcome! We'll be in‑person at ASU in Tempe, Arizona. Start reviewing nonprofits and problems to solve. We only have budget to support 90 hackers with delicious food so get in line early – only the first 90 hackers will be admitted and we'll add everyone else to a #waitlist.
Kickoff: Welcome, logistics, and rules
Sat, Mar 28, 9:00 AM MST (Sat, Mar 28, 4:00 PM UTC your time)
- Keynote by Jaime (Forsht) Ludka
- Logistics and rules presented
Nonprofit Pitches
Sat, Mar 28, 9:30 AM MST (Sat, Mar 28, 4:30 PM UTC your time)
Nonprofits pitch their problems to hackers. These are kept secret until just before the hackathon and are published on DevPost via an update which also is emailed to all hackers.
Team Formation
Sat, Mar 28, 10:00 AM MST (Sat, Mar 28, 5:00 PM UTC your time)
Teams form and select their nonprofit problem to work on.
- Listen to nonprofit pitches and rank your choices
- Connect with others interested in the same problems if you don't have a team
- Teams select their nonprofit problem
- Begin hacking on your chosen project! Create your team here – you need to do this before we give you your OHack t‑shirt.
🚀Hacking Begins
Sat, Mar 28, 10:30 AM MST (Sat, Mar 28, 5:30 PM UTC your time)
Hacking begins!
Find a table with your team and start thinking about how to break down the project into smaller tasks and who will work on those tasks
🍽️ Lunch
Sat, Mar 28, 12:00 PM MST (Sat, Mar 28, 7:00 PM UTC your time)
Lunch served in common area
Breakout Session/Workshop
Sat, Mar 28, 1:30 PM MST (Sat, Mar 28, 8:30 PM UTC your time)
Greg will walk through how he codes in an AI-Native way using ClaudeCode
🍽️ Breakfast
Sun, Mar 29, 7:00 AM MST (Sun, Mar 29, 2:00 PM UTC your time)
Breakfast served
🍽️ Lunch
Sun, Mar 29, 12:00 PM MST (Sun, Mar 29, 7:00 PM UTC your time)
Lunch served in common area
Presentation Feedback Hour: Feedback on your project and presentation
Sun, Mar 29, 12:00 PM MST (Sun, Mar 29, 7:00 PM UTC your time)
Get feedback on your project & presentation from mentors – now is the time to button up your demos! Don't wait – focus on your presentation now and give your pitch to mentors.
You can start your DevPost submission at any time
Remember to think about the judging criteria for how you frame your project.
- Scope of Solution
- Documentation
- Polish
- Security
✅ Judge Check-in
Sun, Mar 29, 2:00 PM MST (Sun, Mar 29, 9:00 PM UTC your time)
Judges arrive and check-in with us
🛑 Hacking Ends 🛑
Sun, Mar 29, 3:00 PM MST (Sun, Mar 29, 10:00 PM UTC your time)
Hacking ends. All video submissions and code are frozen.
- Projects must be submitted on DevPost
- All code checked into develop or main branch on GitHub
Judging Begins!
Sun, Mar 29, 3:05 PM MST (Sun, Mar 29, 10:05 PM UTC your time)
Live demos!
- We'll split into two rooms for demos in-front of judges
- 6 minute total time for each team
- Recommended: 4 min live demo, 2 mins of Q&A
We'll publish the demo order, once you are done, you can take a break, touch grass, and come back for the closing ceremony
Judging Ends
Sun, Mar 29, 5:15 PM MST (Mon, Mar 30, 12:15 AM UTC your time)
Judging scores tabulated
Winners Announced
Sun, Mar 29, 5:30 PM MST (Mon, Mar 30, 12:30 AM UTC your time)
Winners announced and closing remarks (Visionary tier: 5 min, Transformer tier: 2 min, Changemaker tier: 1 min)