The Official Hackathon of Queen's University

We’re bringing together students from all over North America for a wild 36 hours - designing, developing, demoing, game-playing, and yoga-doing from our home base at Queen’s University. We are so excited to welcome hackers back in-person for the first time in two years! Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned veteran, QHacks has something to satisfy your interests! This weekend is about inclusiveness for all disciplines - students from any level of skill, from any field of study, are encouraged to bring their innovative ideas for a weekend of problem-solving! The only prerequisites for this weekend are a love for tech and drive to learn! We can't wait to see you there!

Requirements

QHacks provides hackers with the creative freedom to explore whichever area of tech they want! Whether that be Fintech or Website Design - it's up to the hackers to create their dream project and turn it into a reality!

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$CAD21,860 in prizes

QHacks 1st Place Prize

Nintendo Switch + Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + 3 Month Online Individual Membership will be awarded to each member of the winning team.

QHacks 2nd Place Prize

2021 Apple iPad (10.2-inch, Wi-Fi, 64GB) - Space Grey (9th Generation)will be awarded to each member of the winning team.

QHacks 3rd Place Prize

SteelSeries Arctis 5 RGB Gaming Headset for PC/PS4/PS5 - Black + $50 Amazon Gift Card awarded to each member of the winning team.

Mayor’s Innovation Challenge Prize (3)

At the pitch competition you’ll have an opportunity to win paid internships with the City of Kingston OR your team could receive $5,000 in seed funding to further your project, unlocked in phases as you make progress on their venture, and admission to QYourVenture, a virtual part time program from April-November that guides participants' entrepreneurial journey through training and phase-based milestones. This prize is being offered through the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre.

QHacks 23 Theme Prize - Designing the Digital World

4DV4 Drone with 1080P Camera will be awarded to each member of the winning team.

Environmental Impact Prize - Presented by Utilities Kingston

Awarded to the project that is the most eco-friendly and has the potential to help move the world towards a more sustainable future. All-new Kindle (2022 release) will be awarded to each member of the winning team.

DDQIC Sponsored Prize

Best hack to answer the question: “How might we use technology to provide greater access to specialized medical care to rural and remote areas?” The winning team will receive $1000 in non-dilutive seed capital to move the idea forward.

MLH Best Domain Name from Domain.com

Register a .Tech domain name using Domain.com during the weekend for your chance to win a Domain.com branded backpack for you and each member of your team! Each team may submit one entry per person on the team. The more creative the domain the better!

MLH Best Blockchain Project Using Hedera

Hedera is a next generation blockchain technology that’s accessible from familiar programming languages like Java and JavaScript. Their goal? To make Web3 development even more accessible to hackers like you! Build a project on Hedera's test network for a chance to win amazing Glorious Modular Compact Mechanical Keyboards for you and your team!

MLH Best Use of Velo by Wix

We know how difficult it can be to create a phenomenal website in a short period of time, especially when it comes to hackathons. Velo by Wix cuts down your development without sacrificing on functionality! With a built-in database and fully customizable JavaScript front-end and back-end, you can develop a full-stack application directly in your browser. With Velo, all the tools you need are conveniently located in one platform! Build your hackathon project with Velo by Wix for a chance to win Wacom Drawing Tablets for you and each of your teammates.

MLH Best Use of Appwrite

Building a full-stack application can be time consuming, especially if you’re more of a frontend developer or lack experience with things like databases or authentication. At hackathons you want to make every minute count, which is why Appwrite is the missing ingredient to your recipe for a successful hack. With all the core backend functionalities you need already pre built and ready for customization, all you’ll need to do is make an API call to take advantage of an Appwrite database, media storage, user auth, and even custom compute functions. Use Appwrite in your hack this weekend for a chance to take home some Fitbits for you and your team.

MLH Best Accessibility Hack sponsored by Fidelity

At Fidelity, accessibility is viewed as a major key to the success of their business, which is why they are challenging you to come up with innovative ways to make tech more accessible! We want you to use your hacking skills to find and build solutions that put opportunities and resources within reach to all communities. The team with the best accessibility hack will win a Fidelity branded wireless charger for each team member!

Leading Learners x QHacks Prize (3)

Expansion pack valued at $100 USD The prize will be awarded to each member of the top 3 teams at QHacks.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Wendy Powey
Associate Professor/Queen's University

Ting Hu
Associate Professor/Queen's University

Matt Antaya
Engineer Manager/Discord

Erin Meger
Assistant Professor/Queen's University

Eric Desmarais
Commercial Director Business Development/RBC

Bruna Moraes
DDQIC

QHacks
QHacks

Kyle Meade
Queen's University

Judging Criteria

Implementation
Weight: 10 | Project has working functionalities and contains a level of technical complexity.
Design
Weight: 10 | Application is built in a logical and well-structured manner. User Interface and User Experience of the project are user-friendly.
Pitch
Weight: 10 | Presentation was complete and well explained. Team provided an impressive experience from start to end.
Innovation & Social Impact
Weight: 10 | Application of project is in an unexpected or original manner. The project has the potential to impact peoples’ lives positively and solve important social issues.

QHacks 2023

QHacks 2023 is Queen’s University’s annual hackathon and will be hosted in-person for the first time in 2 years. This year’s theme is Designing the Digital World.

Who can participate