Katy Youth Hacks 2026 challenges participants to solve real-world problems with technology, aiming to inspire the next generation of developers. The theme for this year is "Tech for Humanity," guiding participants to create solutions that benefit the community while encouraging students to engage in computer science and tech development.
The hackathon is open to innovators of all skill levels, including middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students. Participation requires joining via DevPost and Discord. Projects must use tech to benefit humanity, such as apps, websites, chatbots, or robots. Low code/design-only projects are permitted. Submissions require a demo video of the project in action (2-3 minutes) and a link to the project (e.g., Github, Figma). To maintain fairness, participants are expected to start projects from scratch, though brainstorming sessions are encouraged prior. Cross-submission of projects is allowed, as long as other hackathons also allow this.
The event runs from August 1 to August 5. It begins with an Opening Ceremony on August 1 at 8:00 PM CDT. Workshops include "Context Architecture: The Missing Layer in Vibe Coding" and "Choosing the Right Machine Learning Model" on August 2. Submissions are due on August 3 at 8:00 AM CDT, followed by the Closing Ceremony and Winner Announcements on August 5 at 11:00 AM CDT.
Prizes are awarded per team unless specified. Categories include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place, Best Design, Best Beginner Hack, and Honorable Mention. Awards consist of guaranteed admission to Leaf's Selective Fall Cohort, CodeCrafters VIP Memberships, Interview Cake access, domain registrations, developer plan subscriptions, and various credits. All participants receive sponsor prizes, including Guaranteed Admission to the YRI Fellowship and exclusive referral network access. Additional rewards exist for the first 30 participants and raffle winners.
Judging criteria assess Creativity, Theme alignment, Functionality, Presentation, and Design.