Dates

Lake Oswego Hacks will take place from September 26, 2026 at 9:00 AM Pacific Time (PT) to September 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time (PT).

All project work intended for submission should be completed during the event period.

All submissions must be uploaded to Devpost by September 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM PT.

Submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Judging Period

The judging period will begin immediately following the conclusion of the hackathon and will last approximately two weeks.

Judges will review projects according to the published judging rubric and determine winners for each track.

Winner Announcement

Winners will be announced on October 13, 2026 through the official Lake Oswego Hacks Slack workspace. Additional announcements may also be made through event communication channels.

Eligibility

Participation is open to students who are:

• Between 13 and 18 years old at the time of the event.
• Currently enrolled in middle school, high school, or an equivalent secondary education program.
• Able to comply with the event rules and code of conduct.

Participants may compete individually or in teams.

Teams may consist of up to 4 members. All team members must satisfy the eligibility requirements listed above.

Lake Oswego Hacks welcomes participants from all countries and backgrounds except for the standard exceptions, which are determined by DevPost itself.

Organizers, judges, and mentors may not compete for prizes.

Project and Submission Requirements

All projects must be related to the event theme:

Technology for the Planet (Sustainability)

Projects may address sustainability through direct environmental impact, education, awareness, research, behavioral change, resource efficiency, conservation, or other related approaches.

Accepted Project Types

Projects may be submitted under one of two tracks:

Hackathon Track

Technical projects including, but not limited to:

• Software applications
• Websites
• Mobile applications
• Games
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning projects
• Robotics projects
• Hardware concepts and engineering designs
• CAD models and PCB designs

Hardware projects are not required to be physically manufactured. Detailed CAD models, schematics, engineering drawings, simulations, and demonstrations are acceptable.

Ideathon Track

Research-backed proposals, concepts, presentations, prototypes, and implementation plans designed to address a sustainability challenge.

Coding is not required for Ideathon submissions.

Submission Requirements

Each submission must include:

• A project title
• A project description
• A clear explanation of the sustainability problem being addressed
• A description of the proposed solution
• A demonstration video or presentation explaining the project
• Any relevant links, documentation, code repositories, designs, or supporting materials

Use of AI Tools

Participants may use AI-assisted development tools, including large language models and coding assistants.

However, participants remain responsible for understanding, documenting, and explaining all aspects of their project. Projects may be questioned by judges regarding implementation details and design decisions.

Projects must be substantially developed during the hackathon period.

Participants may use existing libraries, frameworks, APIs, datasets, and previously acquired knowledge.

Pre-existing projects are not permitted unless significant new work is completed specifically for Lake Oswego Hacks. Judges reserve the right to determine whether a submission contains sufficient new work.

Prizes

Prizes and awards will be introduced prior to the start of the hackathon. These might include Amazon Gift Cards, certifications, and more.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of judges using the published scoring rubrics for their selected track. If the selected track is not specified in the project description, judges will choose the track that they view as appropriate.

Hackathon Track

Project Focus is evaluated according to the project's primary category:

• User-facing applications

• Hardware designs and products

• Technical systems and engineering projects

Ideathon Track

Winner Selection

Projects will be ranked according to their final scores within their respective tracks.

The highest-scoring projects will receive awards in the applicable categories.

In the event of a tie, judges may conduct additional discussion and review to determine final placements.

All judging decisions are final.