VoltHacks

The challenge

VoltHacks 2026 is a hackathon focused on building real-world solutions using hardware, IoT, and AI. Participants are encouraged to go beyond traditional software projects and create systems that interact with the physical world through sensors, embedded systems, automation, and intelligent devices. Whether you're interested in robotics, smart devices, sustainability, healthcare technology, or open innovation, VoltHacks is designed to push creativity and engineering skills toward solving meaningful problems.

Tracks / categories

• Robotics & Embedded Systems
• AI + Hardware Integration
• Smart Health Technology
• Sustainability & Smart Cities
• Open Innovation
• Anything Engineering based with Impact

Required tech & constraints

• Ages 13+
• Students only
• Companies/professional organizations excluded from participation
• All countries/territories, excluding standard exceptions

Submission requirements

Each submission should include:

• Project name and short description
• Explanation of the problem your project solves
• Photos, screenshots, or prototype images
• Source code or GitHub repository (if applicable)
• List of technologies/components used Teams should clearly explain how their project works and what makes it innovative.

Judging criteria

• Innovation and Creativity: Originality and creativity of the project idea, including unique approaches to solving real-world problems.
• Technical Complexity: Depth of engineering, programming, hardware integration, or system design demonstrated.
• Real World Impact: Usefulness, practicality, or meaningfulness of the project in real-world situations.
• Design and Functionality: Overall quality, usability, and effectiveness of the project’s design and implementation.
• Presentation Quality: Clarity of the project explanation, including demonstrations, documentation, and communication of ideas.

Prizes

• Grand Prize: $400 in cash
• Dialogate Lifetime Subscription: Awarded to 5 winners, each receiving a lifetime subscription to Dialogate. (No cash reward for these projects; cash value is determined by subscription value).
• Overall Prizes: $700 in cash total, with one winner receiving the Grand Prize of $400. There is also a $100 USD cash prize + $300 USD in Featherless.ai credits.

Bonus / optional points

None explicitly mentioned.