About the challenge

IDEA Hacks is a 36-hour hardware-focused hackathon held annually by IEEE at UCLA in Ackerman Grand Ballroom. As the largest electrical engineering-focused hackathon on the West Coast, this is a truly unique opportunity to work on a project that encompasses electrical, software, and even mechanical engineering.

For the ninth annual IDEA Hacks, our theme is “Game Time!" This means projects should gamify a daily practice, an environmentally-friendly behavior, or any mundane task to make it more enjoyable. Products should encourage healthier habits by making one’s routines more engaging and enabling users to compete with themselves or others. The three sub-categories—mental and physical health, sustainable practices, and “just for fun” (a good old game)—promote the creation of projects that benefit one’s wellbeing, the health of the planet, or enjoyment of life.

Get started

To get started, visit our parts checkout table once hacking begins! However, you are welcome to begin brainstorming project ideas as early as you want.

Also, please join our discord. You should have received the link in an email.

Requirements

What to Build

Come up with an innovative project that "gamifies" an action to make life more fun! 

What to Submit

Projects must contain at least two hardware components. To document what you built, submit some images/videos of your project as well as a description of what your project does. Feel free to be creative! A more interesting pitch will generate more interest from judges!

Make sure to include a concise description at the top of your project as your "elevator pitch." This should make it so judges can clearly understand what your project does in 20 seconds or less.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$2,750 in prizes

First Place Overall

$250 Digi-Key Gift Card
Limited Edition Polar Ombre Hydro Flask,
IDEA Hacks Athletic Shirt

Second Place Overall

2 meal vouchers for Plateia UCLA

Third Place Overall

Divoom 16x16 LED Display

Best Sustainability-Oriented Project

To-go ware bamboo utensil set,
freezer compost bin,
reusable sandwich bags

Best Health-Oriented Project

Patagonia Atom Sling Backpack

Best "Just for Fun" Project

Screwdriver/tool set

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Anthony Lai

Anthony Lai
Chief System Architect

David Doami

David Doami
Director, MILSATCOM Programs, Northrop Grumman

Helen Ying

Helen Ying
Director, Engineering

Gregory Caguimbal

Gregory Caguimbal
Systems Engineering Manager at Northrop Grumman

Calvin Cam

Calvin Cam
Management Consultant at EY

Leo Szeto

Leo Szeto
Director, control systems and electrical engineering at Nusano

William Goodin

William Goodin
IEEE Advisor at UCLA

Cullen Quine

Cullen Quine
PhD Candidate at California Institute of Technology

Mike Briggs

Mike Briggs
Lecturer at UCLA

Nader Sehatbaksh

Nader Sehatbaksh
Assistant Professor at UCLA

Pavan Holur

Pavan Holur
Graduate Student at UCLA

Norris Tie

Norris Tie
CEO / Co-founder of Exosonic

Caroline Zhu

Caroline Zhu
Software Engineer at Figma

Mike Briggs

Mike Briggs
UCLA EE Instructor

Josh Valerio

Josh Valerio
Systems Engineer at Raytheon Technologies

John LeDuc

John LeDuc
Applications Engineering Manager

Robert Nelson

Robert Nelson
Principal Applications Engineer

Judging Criteria

  • Relevance to Theme
    How relevant is the project to the theme of “Game Time”? Does the project successfully “gamify” something? Is there a fun component to the project?
  • Concept Testing and Ideation
    Did they choose the best solution to solve the target problem? Considering factors such as safety, cost-effectiveness, and reliability, was an effective solution proposed to resolve the target issue?
  • Creativity / Innovation
    How creative is the project? Is it an original idea and/or implementation?
  • Technological Achievement
    Is the project complete and well designed? Does the project work reliably and effectively achieve the goals of the design?
  • Usage of Technology
    Does the project effectively use the technology available? Did the team go above and beyond in effectively utilizing technology?
  • Potential to Become a Product
    Does the product satisfy a real need? Is the user experience enjoyable? Is the product cost-effective and affordable?
  • Strength of Pitch
    How convincing were they in “selling” their product? Was the pitch clear and concise?
  • Environment (Optional)
    Does this project have the potential to make a significant impact on one or more real environmental issues? How effective would this project be in encouraging their target audience to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviors long-term?
  • Mental and Physical Health (Optional)
    How likely is this project to improve the long-term mental and/or physical health of its users? Does this project target an aspect of mental or physical health that is currently underserved in the market?
  • “Just for Fun” (Optional)
    Is the product enjoyable to use? Does the end result present a novel approach to an existing game, or create a new game entirely?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Tell your friends

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.