What Happens at Arbor Hackathon
People often ask us what happens at Arbor Hackathon. Here is an overview of what happens during the hackfest and the benefits you get as an Arbor builder.
The Arbor Hackathon
Arbor is a 48-hour development sprint. We run it to compress months of growth into weeks. Here's what happens during the two days of the Hackathon:
The Goal
The overall goal of Arbor Hackathon is to help student projects really take off. They arrive at the Hackathon at all different stages. Some haven't even started working yet, and others have been launched for a year or more. But whatever stage a project is at when they arrive, our goal is to help them be in dramatically better shape 48 hours later.
Advice
During the hackfest, we host advice sessions with successful founders who built apps that succeeded. They share battle-tested wisdom, the reality of finding product-market fit, and what it takes to launch.
Building with AI
Learn how to build using advanced AI assistance. Discover how to leverage LLMs, prompt engineering, code generation, and rapid prototyping tools to turn weeks of manual coding into hours of strategic building.
Continuous Development
The core of the Hackathon is deep, uninterrupted development. Teams work side-by-side, coding their systems, refining their interfaces, and preparing to demo a fully working project.
Categories & Tracks
Arbor Hackathon features multiple competition divisions based on student grade levels, as well as curated project focus areas to encourage high-impact innovations.
Grade Divisions
Senior Division
Grades 11 – 12
For high school seniors building advanced software, AI utilities, and scalable digital solutions.
Junior Division
Grades 6 – 10
For adolescent builders showcasing innovative web/mobile apps, creative coding, and practical tools.
Sub-Junior Division
Grades 1 – 5
Encouraging early young innovators to explore technology, build their first projects, and demonstrate creativity.
Project Focus Areas
Educational Technology
Interactive platforms, study planners, and digital tools transforming learning and classroom experiences.
School Productivity Tools
Solutions for attendance, event coordination, assignment organization, and campus collaboration.
Environmental Sustainability
Applications targeting eco-friendly habits, carbon tracking, waste reduction, and green tech.
Community Impact Solutions
Software addressing hyper-local civic challenges, public welfare, and community engagement.
Artificial Intelligence Applications
Smart AI assistants, LLM integrations, generative AI tools, and automated workflows.
Healthcare & Well-being
Apps promoting physical health, mental wellness, fitness tracking, and accessibility tools.
Social Innovation
Digital platforms driving positive social change, inclusivity, awareness, and human connection.
Event Schedule
Day 1 – 24th July 2026
Day 2 – 25th July 2026
Judging Criteria
Evaluation Parameters
Innovation & Creativity (25 Marks)
Originality of idea; novel approach to solving the problem.
Technical Implementation (25 Marks)
Complexity and quality of development; effective use of technology.
Practical Impact (20 Marks)
Real-world applicability; potential usefulness and scalability.
User Experience & Design (15 Marks)
Ease of use; design quality and accessibility.
Presentation & Demonstration (15 Marks)
Communication skills; clarity of explanation; demonstration effectiveness.