Dates

Southwest MN Hacks takes place on Saturday, March 21, 2026 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM CT at the Upper Conference Center, Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), 1501 State St, Marshall, MN 56258.

All project submissions are due on Devpost by 5:00 PM CT on March 21, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Eligibility

  1. Eligibility: Open to students ages 14 and older. High school, community college, and university students are all welcome.
  2. Team Size: Teams of 1 to 4 people. Solo participants are encouraged to join a team. We'll help match you during team formation.
  3. Original Work: All projects must be started and built during the hackathon on March 21, 2026. You may use open-source libraries, APIs, and frameworks, but your core project idea and implementation must be new.
  4. Challenge: All teams must build a project that addresses one of the two Schwan's Company challenge questions. Both challenges will be presented at the opening ceremony. Pick the one that interests you more.
  5. Submissions: All projects must be submitted through Devpost by 5:00 PM CT on March 21, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.
  6. What to Submit on Devpost:
    • Project name and description
    • Which Schwan's challenge did you tackle (Challenge 1 or Challenge 2)
    • A link to your project (live demo, GitHub repo, or video walkthrough)
    • Screenshots or a short video showing your project
    • List of all team members
  7. Tools & Technology: You may use any programming language, framework, API, or tool. No-code and low-code solutions are also welcome.
  8. Intellectual Property: Teams retain full ownership of everything they build during the hackathon.

Prizes

  • 1st Place - Engraved plaque + gold medals for each team member. Featured on the Southwest MN Hacks website.
  • 2nd Place - Engraved plaque + medals for each team member.
  • 3rd Place - Engraved plaque + medals for each team member.
  • 4th Place - Engraved plaque + medals for each team member.
  • 5th Place - Engraved plaque + medals for each team member.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Projects will be evaluated by a panel of SMSU Computer Science faculty. Criteria:

  • Innovation & Creativity (25%) - How original and creative is the idea? Does it offer a fresh approach to the problem?
  • Impact & Usefulness (25%) - Does the project solve a real problem? Would people actually use this?
  • Technical Execution (20%) - Does the project work? Is it functional for a 12-hour build? We value effort and learning, not just code quality.
  • Presentation & Demo (20%) - Can the team clearly explain what they built, why it matters, and how it works?
  • Completion (10%) - Did the team finish a working prototype? We reward teams that ship something, even if it's simple.

Judges' decisions are final.

Code of Conduct

All participants must behave respectfully and professionally. Harassment, discrimination, or disruptive behavior of any kind will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the event. By participating, you agree to uphold a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone.