This page is for schools entering as a team. Looking to join individually?
Open HackathonFrom kickoff to celebration — here's exactly what happens during your school's hackathon day.
Welcome, introductions, and teams lock in their challenge
Two hours of focused development with mentor support throughout
Quick mentor feedback, lunch break, and final prep
Each team presents to classmates, teachers, and invited judges
Winners announced, certificates for every student
A single-day, school-hosted innovation event where student teams build, present, and compete — all in one morning to afternoon session.
Welcome ceremony, quick intros, teams of 2-4 lock in their challenge and start brainstorming.
Teams start building. FOLA mentors rotate through the room to help with coding, design, or ideation.
Quick 5-minute check-in with every team. Mentors give feedback, help unblock, and keep energy high.
Teams eat, breathe, and finalize their project. Presentation prep with mentor support.
Each team gives a 3-minute presentation to classmates, teachers, and invited judges.
Winners announced, certificates for every participant, celebration with the whole school.
Meet the teams who built these projects together in 48 hours and presented at WeWork NYC.
Mobile app that helps students track their carbon footprint and compete with friends to reduce environmental impact.
"Working with my team for 48 hours straight taught me more about collaboration and problem-solving than any class. Presenting at WeWork to real engineers was nerve-wracking but amazing."
Mental health companion for students featuring mood tracking, personalized coping strategies, and peer support resources.
"I came in not knowing anyone on my team. We learned to work together, divide tasks, and build something we are proud of. The mentors helped us every step of the way."
Platform connecting students with CS mentors for virtual coding help and project guidance.
"Presenting our project at WeWork to engineers from Google and Meta was intimidating but incredible. Getting their feedback on our work changed how I think about building software."
Here's what students from last year's hackathon have to say
"I walked in not knowing anyone and left with new friends and a project I'm proud of. It was a great experience."
"The mentors were really helpful. They took time to review my code and helped me work through a tricky bug."
"One of the best weekends I've had. I built something real and discovered how much I enjoy coding."
"As a beginner, I was nervous at first. The beginner track and supportive mentors made me feel welcome and confident."
"Getting to present my project to real professionals and receive feedback was an incredible learning experience."
"I met people who share my interests and we're still collaborating on the project we started here."
Beyond the experience, here's everything you get as a participant
Work with teammates to solve real problems • Learn Git collaboration, code reviews, and project management • Build something bigger together
Sunday evening: Present your project to engineers from Google, Spotify, Meta, Bloomberg • Get professional feedback on your work
Never coded before? Join our beginner track with dedicated mentors, workshops, and starter templates • 40% of participants are first-timers
1-on-1 guidance from engineers at Google, Spotify, Meta, Two Sigma, and Bloomberg throughout the 48 hours
AWS/GCP credits • GitHub Copilot Pro • Figma Professional • Vercel Pro • Domains from GoDaddy
Friday dinner • All-night snacks • Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner • Sunday breakfast, lunch • Energy drinks & coffee bar
Ship a real project in 48 hours • GitHub repo, project report, demo video • Perfect for college applications and internship interviews
Meet engineers, other students, and mentors • Get LinkedIn connections and recommendations • Build relationships that last beyond the event
A quick look at what students created in past hackathons
AI-powered productivity app that helps students manage homework, projects, and study time. Uses machine learning to suggest optimal study schedules based on your patterns.
Sarah C.
12th Grade • Age 17
💼Software Engineering Intern @ Google ($8,500/month)
Connect with classmates for virtual study sessions. Includes video chat, shared whiteboards, and Pomodoro timers. Built during COVID to help students study together remotely.
Marcus W.
11th Grade • Age 16
💼CTO of StudyBuddy (acquired), building next product
Mobile app that gamifies reducing your carbon footprint. Track daily activities, get personalized tips, compete with friends on eco-friendly challenges.
Aisha P.
College Freshman • Age 18
💼CS @ Stanford + Part-time at Meta ($130K full-time offer)
Social platform for home cooks to share and discover recipes. Users can save favorites, rate recipes, and create shopping lists.
Jordan L.
10th Grade • Age 15
💼10th grader continuing with Full-Stack program
Help support local businesses! Discover shops, restaurants, and services near you with reviews from real community members.
Carlos M.
11th Grade • Age 16
💼Product Intern @ Yelp ($6,800/month)
Completely reimagined my school's outdated portal. Modern UI, mobile-first, accessible. Presented to school board—they're implementing it!
Emily R.
12th Grade • Age 17
💼Design Intern @ Airbnb ($7,200/month)
Over 13 student projects from past hackathons. Filter by technology, difficulty, or search for specific features. Every project was built in just 48 hours.
Showing 13 projects
AI-powered productivity app that helps students manage homework, projects, and study time. Uses machine learning to suggest optimal study schedules based on your patterns.
Sarah C.
12th Grade • Age 17
💼Software Engineering Intern @ Google ($8,500/month)
Connect with classmates for virtual study sessions. Includes video chat, shared whiteboards, and Pomodoro timers. Built during COVID to help students study together remotely.
Marcus W.
11th Grade • Age 16
💼CTO of StudyBuddy (acquired), building next product
Mobile app that gamifies reducing your carbon footprint. Track daily activities, get personalized tips, compete with friends on eco-friendly challenges.
Aisha P.
College Freshman • Age 18
💼CS @ Stanford + Part-time at Meta ($130K full-time offer)
Social platform for home cooks to share and discover recipes. Users can save favorites, rate recipes, and create shopping lists.
Jordan L.
10th Grade • Age 15
💼10th grader continuing with Full-Stack program
Help support local businesses! Discover shops, restaurants, and services near you with reviews from real community members.
Carlos M.
11th Grade • Age 16
💼Product Intern @ Yelp ($6,800/month)
Completely reimagined my school's outdated portal. Modern UI, mobile-first, accessible. Presented to school board—they're implementing it!
Emily R.
12th Grade • Age 17
💼Design Intern @ Airbnb ($7,200/month)
Beautiful, motivating fitness tracking app design. Includes workout plans, progress tracking, and social challenges.
Jasmine T.
10th Grade • Age 15
💼10th grader, continuing to Advanced Design program
AI writing assistant that gives constructive feedback on essays. Helps improve grammar, structure, and argumentation without writing for you.
Ryan J.
12th Grade • Age 17
💼ML Research Intern @ MIT ($7,000/month)
ML-powered music recommender based on your mood and activities. Learns your preferences over time.
Nina G.
11th Grade • Age 16
💼Applying to internships at music tech companies
2D space adventure game with procedurally generated levels. Collect resources, upgrade your ship, discover new planets.
Alex K.
9th Grade • Age 14
💼9th grader, wants to be game developer
Real-time COVID-19 data dashboard for NYC. Shows cases, vaccinations, and trends by borough with beautiful visualizations.
Priya S.
12th Grade • Age 17
💼Data Science Intern @ Bloomberg ($8,200/month)
Simple, beautiful weather app. Shows current conditions and 7-day forecast for any city.
David C.
8th Grade • Age 13
💼8th grader, continuing to Web Dev program
My personal portfolio website with animations, dark mode, and contact form. Showcases all my projects.
Zoe A.
10th Grade • Age 15
💼10th grader building freelance design business
Students Registered. Will You Be #38?
Spots fill fast. Join the hackathon where students build real projects, meet mentors, and compete for prizes in 48 hours.
Registration for the April event is now closed. Join the waitlist for our July AI Innovation Challenge.