Dates

  • Hackathon Dates: Hack the Valley will take place from October 3–5, 2025 at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
  • Submission Deadline: All projects must be submitted on Devpost by Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET.
  • Judging & Expo: Project expo and judging will take place on Sunday, October 5, 2025 from 12:00 PM–3:00 PM ET.
  • Winners Announced: Closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET, during which winners will be announced.

Eligibility

  • Hack the Valley is open to all students currently enrolled in a high school, college, university, or who have graduated within the past 12 months.
  • Participants must be 16 years or older (and have guardian permission if under 18).
  • Teams may consist of up to 4 members. Solo projects are allowed.
  • All participants must register for the hackathon and agree to the MLH Code of Conduct.
  • This is an in-person hackathon; participants must be physically present at the venue to compete and demo their project.

Project and Submission Requirements

To be eligible for judging, projects must meet the following requirements:

1. Original Work

  •    All work on the project must be done **during the hackathon weekend**.
  •    You may use publicly available libraries, APIs, or pre-existing open-source code, but no prior projects or work created before the event may be submitted as-is.

2. Submission Requirements

    A Devpost submission including:

  •      Project title & description
  •      The problem it solves & how it works
  •      Link to code repository (e.g., GitHub)

   Submissions must be completed before the official Devpost deadline.

3. Technical Requirements

  •    Projects may be web, mobile, hardware, or mixed-technology solutions.
  •    Projects must not contain offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate material.
  •    Participants may submit their project for multiple prize categories if eligible.

4. Limitations

  •    Each team may submit only one project as their final entry.
  •    Projects must comply with the MLH Code of Conduct and all applicable laws.

Prizes

  • Overall Prizes: Top 3 overall hacks will be awarded grand prizes.
  • Category Prizes: Additional prizes include:
    •   Best Beginner Hack
    •   Best Solo Hack
    •   Best UI Hack
    •   Sponsor Challenges (EY, SDGs@UofT, etc.)
    •   Themed Prizes (aligned with hackathon themes)
  • Prize details will be announced at the opening ceremony and listed on Devpost.
  • A team may win one overall prize and multiple sponsor/category prizes, but prize allocation will be at the discretion of the judges and organizers.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

All eligible submissions will be judged by a panel of judges based on the following criteria:

  • Technicality & Quality – Level of technical skill demonstrated, quality of the codebase, and whether a working prototype is delivered.
  • Design – Attention to aesthetics, usability, and overall user experience/interface.
  • Solves a Current Issue – Relevance of the problem addressed, how well it meets a customer or community need, and potential for real-world application.
  • Presentation – Clarity, completeness, and professionalism of the written Devpost submission and the live demo.
  • Inspiration – Uniqueness, creativity, and how exciting the project is.
  • Authenticity – Originality of the idea; whether it stands apart from existing or previously seen projects.

Judges will evaluate submissions during the expo based on the Devpost entry and live demo.

The team with the highest overall score in each category will be selected as the winner.

Note: These rules are subject to change if necessary, but any changes will be communicated clearly to all participants via Devpost and Discord.