First Place, Overall

The team that wins the prize for best overall hack will be awarded 3 Kindle Fires.

Projects in this category should demonstrate maturity of idea and sophistication of implementation. First and foremost, projects will be considered based on how successfully they “hack together” a solution to an interesting problem or challenge. From there, judges will consider usability, design, and technical aptitude in implementation.

Second Place, Overall

The team that wins the prize for second-best overall hack will be awarded 2 Parrot Rolling Spider Drones and 2 Arduino starter kits including DC motors, servo motors, tilt sensors, LEDs and other basic electronic components. Projects in this category should demonstrate maturity of idea and sophistication of implementation. First and foremost, projects will be considered based on how successfully they “hack together” a solution to an interesting problem or challenge. From there, judges will consider usability, design, and technical aptitude in implementation.

Third Place, Overall

The team that wins the prize for third-best overall hack will be awarded 2 Smraza Ultimate Project Starter Kits. Projects in this category should demonstrate maturity of idea and sophistication of implementation. First and foremost, projects will be considered based on how successfully they “hack together” a solution to an interesting problem or challenge. From there, judges will consider usability, design, and technical aptitude in implementation.

Best Beginner Hack

The team that wins the prize for the best beginner hack will be awarded 2 SunFounder Project Starter Kits. This category is designed to allow for beginners to have an equal playing field to earn a prize! Beginner hacks will be judged on the same criteria as the “overall” category. Hackers self-identified if they were beginners at registration and we flagged teams that had majority beginners.

Most Entertainig Hack

The team that wins the prize for the most entertaining hack will be awarded 2 Elegoo 37-in-1 sensor kits. This category is for the hacks that make judges smile.

Best Dorm Automation Hack

The team that wins the prize for the best dorm automation hack will win 1 Myo Gesture Control Armband. Hacks in this category should creatively enhance some aspect of living in a small space where tenants are not allowed to make permanent changes, like a college dorm.

Best Use of Silicon Labs Hardware

The team that wins the prize for Best Use of Silicon Labs Hardware will win Thunderboard IoT kits and other Si Labs merchandise. This category will be judged by a Si Labs engineer.

Most Technically Challenging

The team that wins the prize for the Most Technically Challenging hack will win 2 handheld multimeters. Judges will consider teams that incorporated a wide variety of skills into their project, including analog and digital hardware skills as well as programming.

MLH Prize: Best IoT Hack Using a Qualcomm Device

The team that creates the Best IoT Hack Using a Qualcomm Device will be awarded 1 Qualcomm DragonBoard 410c + power source

MLH Prize: Best Use of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

The team that is awarded Best Use of Amazon Web Services will win $250 AWS Credit.

MLH Prize: Best Domain Name from Domain.com

The team that thinks up the best domain name will be awarded 1 Raspberry Pi & PiHut Essential Kit. Even hacks that are completely offline can have descriptive websites!