Dates

The LancerHacks Main Challenge will be revealed at the start of the event on October 30, 2026. All projects must be submitted through Devpost by the announced submission deadline to be eligible for judging. Each submission must include the required 1–2 minute demo video by the submission deadline. Judging will take place from 7:30 PM to 8:45 PM.

 

 

Eligibility

LancerHacks is open to Pasadena City College students of all majors and experience levels. No prior hackathon or coding experience is required.

Participants:

  • May compete in teams of no more than 4 members

  • Must complete all required event registration and check-in procedures

  • Must follow Pasadena City College policies and the LancerHacks Code of Conduct

  • May not serve as a judge for a category in which they are competing

Participation by students from other schools is permitted subject to event capacity, registration requirements, and any additional Pasadena City College requirements. Participants under the age of 18 may be required to submit additional parent or guardian authorization forms before participating.

 

 

Project and Submission Requirements

Projects must respond to the LancerHacks Main Challenge announced on the day of the event. The core project must be substantially developed during LancerHacks. Participants may use existing libraries, frameworks, APIs, datasets, open-source resources, templates, and AI-assisted development tools, but may not submit a previously completed project as a new hackathon entry.

Teams must submit their project through Devpost according to the requirements listed in the Submission Requirements section. Each team must also submit a 1–2 minute demo video that:

  • Shows the project actually running

  • Demonstrates the project's main functionality

  • Briefly explains the problem being addressed

  • Explains the team's solution

Judges will review each video during Round 1. Participants must respect applicable intellectual property rights, software licenses, and third-party terms of service.

 

 

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to selected winning teams and may also be awarded for sponsor tracks or honorable mentions. Current prize packages are listed in the Prizes section of the LancerHacks Devpost page. To receive a prize, a team must:

  • Submit an eligible project by the deadline

  • Participate in the required judging process

  • Follow the competition rules and Code of Conduct

The organizers reserve the right to substitute a prize with an item of comparable value if necessary.

 

 

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

LancerHacks uses a two-round judging process.

Round 1 — Devpost Review

The judges will be divided into three panels. Each panel will review a portion of the submitted projects using the team's Devpost submission, required demo video, and repository when applicable. Round 1 projects will be evaluated on four criteria:

  • Innovation & Creativity — 25 points

  • Technical Execution — 25 points

  • Design & Usability — 25 points

  • Video & Devpost Submission — 25 points

Each criterion is scored on a 1–5 scale and weighted to produce a maximum total score of 100 points. The highest-scoring team from each judging panel will advance to the final round, resulting in three finalists. If two teams tie for the top score within a Round 1 panel, the team with the higher Technical Execution score will advance.

Round 2 — Live Finals

The three finalists will present live to the full panel of judges. Each finalist will receive:

  • 4 minutes for a live project demonstration

  • 3 minutes for judge Q&A

  • 1 minute for transition

Finalists begin Round 2 with a fresh score. Round 1 scores do not carry over into the final ranking. Round 2 projects will be evaluated on:

  • Working Demo — 25 points

  • Technical Depth — 25 points

  • Impact & Innovation — 25 points

  • Communication & Q&A — 25 points

Round 2 scores determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. For each finalist, the final score will be calculated from the judges' scores after dropping the single highest and single lowest score. If finalists are tied, ties will be broken in the following order:

  1. Higher Round 2 Working Demo score

  2. Higher Round 1 total score

  3. Judge discussion and majority vote

Sponsor-track awards and Honorable Mentions may be awarded to any eligible submission, whether or not the team advances to the final round.