HackHCC: CodeRunners is Houston City College's first MLH-official hackathon, hosted by the HCC Computer Science Association. Over the course of one weekend in Spring 2026, students from across the region will come together for 24 hours of building, learning, and competing.
The event is open to all students regardless of experience level. Whether you have years of development work behind you or you're writing your first line of code, there's a place for you here. Participants can compete solo or form teams of up to four people, and we'll help connect you with teammates if you arrive without one.
What sets CodeRunners apart is the combination of accessibility and ambition. As an MLH-official event, it carries the credibility, sponsorships, and industry connections that come with the largest hackathon league in the world, while remaining welcoming to first-time participants. The theme leans into a cyberpunk aesthetic, reflecting the idea that the best projects come from bold, unconventional thinking.
Participants are free to build almost anything they can complete in 24 hours. Past hackathon projects in this space have ranged from mobile applications and web platforms to hardware builds, games, and AI-driven tools. Multiple prize tracks give every type of project a meaningful path to recognition, so teams aren't forced into a single category to be competitive.
Throughout the weekend, sponsors and partners will run workshops, technical talks, and networking sessions. These give participants the chance to learn new tools, hear directly from working engineers and recruiters, and explore career paths in technology. Meals, snacks, and event swag are provided, along with dedicated space to work, rest, and collaborate.
More than anything, CodeRunners is about community. It's the kind of event where strangers become collaborators, ideas turn into working prototypes overnight, and participants leave with new skills, new connections, and something tangible to show for the weekend.
Registration and full event details are available at hackhcc.org.
Requirements
For the requirements, link you demo video and link to github.
NOTE: You need to have your repo public. No changes after deadline.
Prizes
General Track
This is the open track for any project built during HackHCC: CodeRunners. No theme restrictions. Apps, websites, hardware projects, games, AI models, anything goes. Projects are judged on innovation, technical complexity, design, and real-world impact.
Beginners Track
This track is designed for first-time hackers and newcomers to the world of coding and hackathons. Whether this is your first project or your first event, this is your space to learn, build, and shine. Projects are judged with an emphasis on learning and effort over technical polish.
[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
It’s time to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI using Google Gemini. Check out the Gemini API to build AI-powered apps that make your friends say WHOA. So, what can Gemini do for your hackathon project?
- Understand language like a human and build a chatbot that gives personalized advice
- Analyze info like a supercomputer and create an app that summarizes complex research papers
- Generate creative content like code, scripts, music, and more
Think of the possibilities… what will you build with the Google Gemini API this weekend?
[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
Deploy natural, human-sounding audio with ElevenLabs. Create realistic, dynamic, and emotionally expressive voices for any project, from interactive AI companions to narrated stories and voice-enabled apps. ElevenLabs will empower you to build rich, immersive experiences without the need for actors or complex audio production, using simply the power of AI.
Integrate fully autonomous audio experiences into your hack with ElevenLabs and give your project a voice, along with giving your team the chance to win wireless earbuds!
Best Use of Solana
The world of development is evolving fast and Solana is leading the charge with a network built to handle all of your infrastructure needs. Forget high fees and slow confirmations, it’s time to build applications that are fast, efficient, and scalable.
Harness Solana's core advantages like blazing fast execution and near-zero transaction costs to make your hackathon ideas become real world projects. With Solana, the possibilities are endless.
Create a game, social app, or consumer product that relies on instant, high-frequency transactions.
Design a sophisticated trading, lending, or decentralized exchange (DEX).
Build a prototype for supply chain, identity, or payments that can handle massive, real-world volume.
Show us how you can innovate with Solana for a chance to win some cool prizes for you and each member of your team!
Best Use of MongoDB Atlas
MongoDB Atlas takes the leading modern database and makes it accessible in the cloud! Get started with a $50 credit for students or sign up for the Atlas free forever tier (no credit card required). Along with a suite of services and functionalities, you'll have everything you need to manage all of your data, and you can get a headstart with free resources from MongoDB University! Build a hack using MongoDB Atlas for a chance to win a M5GO IoT Starter Kit for you and each member of your team.
Best Use of Snowflake
Play with industry-leading LLMs on a single account using the Snowflake APIs. Adding AI capabilities into your application can be as simple as a single CURL command to Snowflake's REST API.
Build customized applications, RAG powered chat bots, or embed AI-powered features into your app in half the time with half the hassle. Get started for free with a special, student 120-day Snowflake trial and check out this repository for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.
Best Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry
GoDaddy Registry is giving you everything you need to be the best hacker no matter where you are. Register your domain name with GoDaddy Registry for a chance to win some amazing prizes!
Best Use of DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI
DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI is a unified AI cloud for building, training, and deploying machine learning models and AI agents. Get access to GPU infrastructure like DigitalOcean GPU Droplets and Bare Metal servers, along with serverless inference and 1-Click Models for instant deployment of your favorite LLMs!!
Sign up for DigitalOcean today and get $200 worth of free credits that you can use towards building your next Gradient-powered hack. Enable your next project with DigitalOcean GradientTM AI for a chance to win some great prizes for you and each of your team mates!
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Nelson Aviles
CSA
John Pierre
CSA
Arian Din-Kirkebo
CSA
Gabriel Morales
CSA
Judging Criteria
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Completion
All required steps from the guide are completed. Core features are functional and the project runs without critical errors. -
Design
Visual presentation beyond the guide's defaults. Custom colors, layouts, animations, or UI polish that reflect personal taste and effort. -
Originality
Within the guided structure, did they add something uniquely theirs? A creative theme, unexpected feature, or novel use case. -
Technology
Correct use of the guided tech stack. Extra points for introducing additional libraries, tools, or APIs beyond what was provided. -
Learning
Evidence that the participant understood and absorbed the material, not just copy-pasted. Bonus for going beyond the guide.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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