Support Our Mission
Flagship Event — July 18, 2025

AIXelerate
Hackathon

A full-day, fully-mentored competition where student teams build working AI prototypes addressing real-world challenges. Pitch your idea, match with a mentor, build fast, and present to industry judges.

Register to Compete Apply as Mentor / Judge
About the Event

What to Expect

The AIXelerate Hackathon is a structured, single-day competition designed to simulate a real product sprint. Teams of up to four students begin the day by pitching their concept to a panel, then receive a dedicated mentor who guides them through the build phase.

At the end of the day, teams deliver a live final presentation to judges who evaluate across defined rubrics covering technical execution, impact potential, ethical considerations, and feasibility.

All submissions must target one of three defined tracks. Tools and frameworks are open-choice; originality and impact are what the judges prioritize.

Key Facts

Date July 18, 2025
Format Virtual / Online
Team Size 1–4 Members
Eligibility Ages 14–18
Tracks 3 Categories
Competition Tracks

Choose Your Impact Area.

Each track represents a genuine societal challenge space. Teams select one track at registration and build within it.

Track 01

Public Safety

Design and build AI systems that enhance emergency response effectiveness, support disaster preparedness, assist law enforcement decision-making, or strengthen civic infrastructure resilience.

Example: early flood warning systems, 911 call triage AI, community safety dashboards
Track 02

Animal Welfare

Create tools that advance wildlife conservation, improve animal shelter operations, assist veterinary diagnostics, enable environmental monitoring, or support anti-poaching efforts using AI-driven approaches.

Example: species identification from camera traps, shelter intake prediction, habitat loss modeling
Track 03

Community Impact

Build applications that improve access to education, mental health resources, government services, food security systems, or support underserved and marginalized communities through responsible AI deployment.

Example: multilingual tutoring bots, food bank logistics, mental health check-in tools
Day-of Schedule

July 18th Timeline.

09:00
EST — Morning Session
Idea Pitching
Teams deliver a 3-minute pitch of their concept to a pre-judging panel. Feedback is provided and teams are confirmed for their chosen track before the build phase begins.
10:30
EST — Core Build Phase
Mentor Matching & Build
Each team is matched with a dedicated mentor. The primary build phase runs for approximately 9 hours with structured check-ins at 1pm and 4pm EST. Mentors provide technical and strategic guidance throughout.
20:00
EST — Evening Session
Final Presentations & Judging
Teams present their completed prototypes live to the full judging panel. Each team receives 8 minutes to demo and 4 minutes for Q&A. Winners are announced following deliberations.
Evaluation

Prizes & Judging.

Submissions are evaluated across four weighted dimensions by a panel of industry professionals and educators.

Criterion 01 — 30%

Technical Execution

Is the prototype functional? How well-engineered is the core AI component? Code quality, model integration, and reliability are assessed.

Criterion 02 — 30%

Real-World Impact

Does the solution address a genuine problem? Is the potential benefit clearly demonstrated and plausible given the constraints of the build?

Criterion 03 — 25%

Ethical Responsibility

Has the team identified and mitigated potential harms? Bias, privacy, transparency, and explainability considerations are evaluated.

Criterion 04 — 15%

Presentation Quality

Clarity, structure, and ability to answer technical and strategic questions under pressure. Judges value confident, well-organized communication.

Awards

Prize Structure

Prize details will be announced closer to the event date. Awards will be distributed across tracks and include recognition, certificates, and sponsor-provided resources.

Register for Updates →