Eligibility
- Open to high school students in grades 9 through 12.
- Bay Area students and out-of-area students are both welcome. Travel and lodging are on you.
- Parent/Guardian has filled out Google's Minor Permission Form
Teams
- Teams can be up to 4 people.
- You can only be on one team.
- We run a team-matching session right after check-in for anyone arriving solo.
What to build
A prompt will be announced at the start of the hackathon.
- Any kind of software or hardware project: app, website, game, hardware hack, AI tool, browser extension, anything else.
- You can use any language, framework, library, API, or AI tool.
- You can build on top of open-source code as a starting point as long as you cite it. The core of your project has to be built between 9:30 AM and 5:00 PM on May 23, 2026.
- Submitting a project you built before the event will get you disqualified.
- Nothing illegal, harmful, or that violates Google's site policies.
Judging
- Each team demos to a small panel of judges starting at 5:30 PM.
- Demo slots are a few minutes per team.
- Categories: Best Technical Implementation, Most Creative Concept, Best First Hackathon, Best UI/UX Design, Audience Favorite, plus a Grand Prize.
- Judges weigh technical depth, creativity, design, and how well you finished the idea.
Code of Conduct
- Follow Google's site rules while at Humboldt. Their security has the final say on the building.
- If something feels wrong, tell an organizer. We'll be wearing visible badges. You can also email team@synthesishacks.com or message us on Discord.
- For a serious incident (assault, threats, medical emergency), call 911 first, then tell us.