Everything You Need to Know

In the hackathon world, "hacking" just means building something new and creative. Think LEGOs, not computers. You're not breaking anything — you're making something. It's playful, experimental, and fast-paced.

Northland Hackathon is fully remote. You participate from wherever you are — home, a library, a coffee shop. This is intentional: we want students from rural Minnesota and the broader Midwest to have the same access as students in the Twin Cities or any major city.

It's completely free. No application fees, no ticket cost, no premium tiers. Northland Hackathon is funded entirely by sponsors who believe in accessible CS education. Every student who participates gets a free event shirt mailed to them. If you'd like to support the event, you can donate here or become a sponsor.

Minnesota ranks last in the nation for offering public computer science education — only 35% of schools offer CS classes, compared to a 57% national average. Source: MNTech.org. Northland Hackathon exists to fill that gap — to give every student in the Midwest a real shot at experiencing technology as a creator, not just a consumer. Read more on our About page.

Yes. We do our best to accommodate everyone, but there's typically a cap on how many students we can support well. Apply early and put effort into your application — it makes a difference.

Yes! While our roots are in Minnesota, we welcome students from across the Midwest — Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Illinois, and beyond. If you're a Midwest student, you're welcome here.

Both work. You can sign up with a team of friends, or sign up solo and we'll help you find a team. Most of the best projects come from teams of 2–4. Don't let not having a team stop you from applying.

A laptop, a stable internet connection, and a willingness to try. That's it. We'll handle the rest — team formation, mentorship, tools, and structure. No software to install in advance, no prep work required.

Once you're accepted, you'll receive weekly emails with curated resources, beginner-friendly coding challenges, and tips for getting the most out of the day. We also host a pre-event speaker series — hear from engineers and designers at top companies before hackathon day.

Anything. A website, a mobile app, a game, a browser extension, a data visualization, a Discord bot — if it involves writing code or designing something interactive, it counts. Judges look at creativity, technical execution, and how well you can explain what you built and why.

Mentors are working engineers, designers, and product managers from companies like Google, Amazon, Square, DroneDeploy, and others. They're all volunteers who genuinely want to help you learn. Judges are drawn from the same pool and evaluate projects at the end of the day. You can see this year's lineup on the mentors section of the home page.

Yes — but we keep the exact prizes a surprise until the day of the event. What we can tell you: winning teams get recognized in front of everyone, and prizes are worth caring about. Past prizes have included gear, tech tools, and other goodies.

Yes. Every student who shows up on event day gets a free Northland Hackathon event shirt mailed to them — regardless of whether their team wins or loses. You just have to participate.

Yes. Northland Hackathon is a fully remote, moderated event. All mentors are vetted professionals. Students collaborate via organized video calls and chat platforms. Your student participates from the safety of your home. We take student well-being seriously.

Yes, especially. This event was built for students who have never had a CS class — because in Minnesota, most haven't. We welcome beginners with open arms. Many of our most memorable project presentations have come from first-timers who just dove in and tried.

Northland Hackathon partners with the Alworth Scholarship, a scholarship program supporting students from northeastern Minnesota who want to pursue engineering and technology degrees. If your student is from NE Minnesota, it's worth looking into.

If you're from northeastern Minnesota, check out the Alworth Scholarship — a proud partner of Northland Hackathon that helps NE Minnesota students afford engineering and tech degrees.

Yes — we're always looking for engineers, designers, and PMs who want to give back. Email us at team@northlandhackathon.com with "Volunteering as Mentor" in the subject line. Read more on our About page.

Absolutely. Sponsorship keeps this event free for students. We have tiers from $500 to $5,000+, and custom arrangements are welcome. Visit the Sponsors page or email team@northlandhackathon.com.