about this event
Event Overview — 📍 Location: Busch Student Center. 📅 Date: Saturday, October 10 – Sunday, October 11, 2026. ⏰ Times: Doors Open: Saturday, October 10 at 9:00 AM ET. Hacking Begins: Saturday, October 10 at 12:00 PM ET. Hacking Ends & Devpost Submissions Due: Sunday, October 11 at 10:00 AM ET. Judging Begins: Sunday, October 11 at 1:00 PM ET. Prizes & Winner Announcements: Sunday, October 11 at 3:30 PM ET.
Room Guide & Venue Logistics — Hacking Areas: MPR, Center Hall, International Lounge (get checked in near the Info Desk; if MPR is full, please bring your team to other hacking areas). Sponsors & Mentors: MPR. Team Building & Workshops: Room 116. Game Room: Cove (games, workshops, and mini-events run from 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM; earn points by attending workshops and winning games to redeem for prizes!). Break Room: Room 174.
Tracks & Superlatives — Submit your project to only one track to be considered (Social Good, Education, Maverick, Gemini). Submitting to more than one track will lead to automatic disqualification. A winner and a runner-up will be chosen for each track. You may also submit your project for superlative prizes, with a maximum of 2 superlatives per project. Tracks: Education Track — projects must focus on building a more educated community. Social Good Track — projects must focus on bettering the community in some way. Maverick Track — any other hack! Gemini Track — projects must make the best use of Google's Gemini in their hack. Superlatives (choose up to 2): Best Solo Hack; Best Newbie Hack; Best Failure to Launch; Best UI/UX; Regeneron: Best Clinical Trial Solution; Lucera Trading Systems; Use of ElevenLabs.
Prizes — A winner and a runner-up will be chosen for each track, along with superlative winners. Prizes will be announced at 3:30 PM ET on Sunday, October 11. All prize winners must be present to sign for their prize when prizes are given out. No exceptions will be made.
Judging Criteria & Winner Selection — Judges will visit each team's table in person during judging (beginning at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, October 11) and score projects based on: Functionality and Execution — does the hack work as intended? Creativity and Innovation — is the idea unique? Has significant thought been put into the idea? Technical Difficulty — was the project technically challenging to execute? Does it require a high level of understanding or skill? Winners are selected based on judges' scores against these criteria. The decisions of the judges are final.
tracks
Education Track
Projects must focus on building a more educated community.
Social Good Track
Projects must focus on bettering the community in some way.
Maverick Track
Any other hack!
Gemini Track
Projects must make the best use of Google's Gemini in their hack.
when
Doors Open
Doors open for HackRU Fall 2026 at the Busch Student Center.
◍ Busch Student CenterHacking Begins
Hacking officially begins, with teams working in MPR, Center Hall and the International Lounge.
◍ Busch Student CenterGame Room & Mini-Events
Games, workshops and mini-events run in the Cove; earn points by attending workshops and winning games to redeem for prizes.
◍ Cove, Busch Student CenterHacking Ends & Devpost Submissions Due
Hacking ends and Devpost submissions are due.
◍ Busch Student CenterJudging Begins
Judges visit each team's table in person and score projects on functionality and execution, creativity and innovation, and technical difficulty.
◍ Busch Student CenterPrizes & Winner Announcements
Prizes and winners are announced. All prize winners must be present to sign for their prize when prizes are given out.
◍ Busch Student Centerprizes
| # | PRIZE | price |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Track winner (Education, Social Good, Maverick or Gemini) | TBA |
| Runner-up | Track runner-up (Education, Social Good, Maverick or Gemini) | TBA |
| Superlative Winner | Best Solo Hack, Best Newbie Hack, Best Failure to Launch, Best UI/UX, Regeneron: Best Clinical Trial Solution, Lucera Trading Systems, Use of ElevenLabs | TBA |