about this event
San Diego's student hackathon, hosted by CSE Society at UC San Diego.
November 14-15, 2026 | In person | Qualcomm Conference Room, Jacobs Hall, UCSD
Build something in about 26 hours, with a team of 1 to 4 people, from any school and any level. SanD Hacks is an open-AI, open-internet hackathon, so use whatever tools you want.
What you get: Free meals — lunch and dinner Saturday, breakfast and lunch Sunday; a 24-hour snack and drink table; free stickers and swag; workshops, including a Product Design workshop by Figma; credits for everyone — ElevenLabs Creator tier, Neon promo credits, and $100 in Bright Data API credits per team; mentors and a help desk staffed throughout the event.
Tracks: Best Overall Hack — fully open-ended, awarded for exceptional technical execution, creativity, and impact. UCSD Basement, Most Innovative Project — the most unique and impactful idea that addresses a real-world problem with a creative, realistically achievable solution. Bright Data, Data for Good — use web data to drive positive social impact. ElevenLabs, Best Project Built with ElevenLabs — the best use of ElevenLabs voice and audio AI. Neon, Best Database-Driven / Agent Backend — the strongest database-driven app or agent backend built on Neon. Additional Major League Hacking Tracks: https://www.mlh.com/events/sand-hacks/prizes
Schedule — Saturday, Nov 14: 9:00 AM check-in (Jacobs Hall, outside Qualcomm Room); 10:00 AM opening ceremony; 10:30 AM hacking begins and team formation mixer; 12:30 PM lunch; 7:30 PM dinner; 10:00 PM hacking space closes. Sunday, Nov 15: 7:00 AM hacking space re-opens; 7:30 AM breakfast; 11:00 AM initial submissions due; 12:00 PM final submissions due and lunch; 12:30 PM–2:30 PM judging and presentations; 2:30 PM closing ceremony; 3:00 PM event concludes.
Sponsors: Bright Data, ElevenLabs, Neon, Figma, SpaceX AI, and The Basement at UC San Diego.
Website: https://hackathon.csesatucsd.com/
tracks
Best Overall Hack
Fully open-ended. Awarded for exceptional technical execution, creativity, and impact.
UCSD Basement, Most Innovative Project
The most unique and impactful idea that addresses a real-world problem with a creative, realistically achievable solution.
Bright Data, Data for Good
Use web data to drive positive social impact.
ElevenLabs, Best Project Built with ElevenLabs
The best use of ElevenLabs voice and audio AI.
Neon, Best Database-Driven / Agent Backend
The strongest database-driven app or agent backend built on Neon.
Additional Major League Hacking Tracks
Additional MLH tracks; see https://www.mlh.com/events/sand-hacks/prizes for details.
when
SanD Hacks — Day 1
9:00 AM check-in (Jacobs Hall, outside Qualcomm Room); 10:00 AM opening ceremony; 10:30 AM hacking begins and team formation mixer; 12:30 PM lunch; 7:30 PM dinner; 10:00 PM hacking space closes.
◍ Qualcomm Conference Room, Jacobs Hall, UCSDSanD Hacks — Day 2
7:00 AM hacking space re-opens; 7:30 AM breakfast; 11:00 AM initial submissions due; 12:00 PM final submissions due and lunch; 12:30 PM–2:30 PM judging and presentations; 2:30 PM closing ceremony; 3:00 PM event concludes.
◍ Qualcomm Conference Room, Jacobs Hall, UCSDtickets
| tickets | price | Fee | Status | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hacker Admission | Free | None | Available | Free entry for hackers from any school and any level, including meals, snacks, swag, workshops, credits, mentors and a help desk. |