ImpactForge — Rules

📅 Dates
Hackathon Starts: June 19, 2026
Submission Deadline: July 23, 2026
Judging & Winner Announcement: 3–6 days after submissions close

All times are in PDT. Late submissions will not be accepted — get yours in before the deadline.

👥 Who Can Join
Open to all skill levels — beginners especially welcome
Teams of 1–5 members (solo submissions allowed)
Open to participants from anywhere in the world

🏆 Prizes

  1. Best Overall Project — for the project that stands out across the board
  2. Best Beginner Project — for an impressive build from someone new to this
  3. Most Innovative Project — for the boldest, most original approach to a real problem
  4. Highest Impact Project — for the project with the clearest, most meaningful real-world impact

📊 Judging Criteria

 

  1. Build Quality (30%) — how functional, stable, and well-constructed the project is, including the tools and tech choices made along the way
  2. Real-World Impact (25%) — how directly and meaningfully the project addresses a genuine problem, and whether the solution could actually help people
  3. Creativity & Approach (20%) — how fresh the idea is and whether it tackles the problem in a way that hasn't been done before
  4. User Experience (15%) — how easy, intuitive, and pleasant the project is to actually use
  5. Clarity of Submission (10%) — how well the project is explained, presented, and documented for judges to understand

🏆 Prizes

  1. The Forge Award — for the project that delivers across every dimension: impact, execution, and originality
  2. First Build Award — for a standout project from someone brand new to hackathons or coding
  3. Disruptor Award — for the most unconventional, out-of-the-box solution to a real problem
  4. Community Champion Award — for the project with the deepest, most tangible impact on the people it's built for