About the challenge

OwlHacks is Temple University’s annual, student-organized hackathon. First hosted in 2019, OwlHacks received great projects, turnout, and support from our sponsors and university; OwlHacks 2023 is going beyond. From freshmen to seniors, and undergrads to grads, all are welcome at OwlHacks.

Get started

Registration closes the night before on September 22nd, 2023!

Requirements

What to Build

Tracks are goals to directly target your projects around. You will be able to choose a track to submit your project to.

1. Inclusive Education

How can we use technology to improve access to education and promote social justice for all students, regardless of their background or location? This track could focus on developing solutions related to online learning, language translation, adaptive technologies for students with disabilities, combating discrimination and prejudice, supporting marginalized communities, and promoting equal opportunities.

2. Smart Cities

Let's create a future where technology enhances the lives of everyone in our community so that safety, infrastructure, and neighborhoods can coexist seamlessly! In recent years, there have been numerous incidents in the US that have put young people at risk, such as school shootings. How can we utilize technology to enhance the safety of children, students, and young adults within our communities?

3. Accessible Healthcare

With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the importance of good health, this track could focus on developing solutions related to improving healthcare accessibility and affordability, promoting healthy lifestyles, and preventing the spread of disease. We all know technology is the future of healthcare--how can we create new innovations to advance modern medicine and promote equity across the board?

4. Philly Special

Get creative and make something related to the Philly Spirit!!!

How to Submit

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KRBts4w3b7_qN2ZzmxSaPsmj6yoD9ABazaLDdAjNgnE/edit#slide=id.g206d8a1dc31_0_0

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$1 in prizes

Best Inclusive Education

Best Smart Cities

Best Philly Special

Best Accessible Healthcare

Best First Time Hack

Best Use of MATLAB

MATLAB and Simulink are computational tools used at over 100,000 businesses, government and university sites in over 190 countries. Use MATLAB and/or Simulink exclusively or integrate them into another tool for your next hack to win an exclusive MathWorks branded Wireless YoYo Speaker! You can also claim a free MATLAB software license to get started.

Most Creative Use of Redis Cloud

Libre Mini Computer with Redis Stack Server Pre-Installed
Redis Cloud is the easiest way to build and scale real-time applications - Period! It includes Redis Stack, adding indexing, querying, full-text search, JSON, time-series, and probabilistic data structures to the already-rich set of features of Redis.

Redis Stack works with all of your favorite programming languages and can be added to any existing application. It’s the easiest way to build real-time applications that scale and perform.

Show us how you’ve used Redis Cloud in a way that showcases your unique and specific data structure needs and each member of your team could win a personal, portable Redis Stack server IOT hardware unit to keep developing on the go. Find out why Stack Overflow Developers have voted Redis their “most loved and admired” noSQL database for years-running by rolling Redis into your MLH Hackathon project.

Sign up for your free Redis Cloud account, and head over to the MLH jump off page on Redis University for more info and docs links. Enter coupon code MLHFall2023 to claim your Redis Cloud credits and get started for free!

Best Accessibility Hack sponsored by Fidelity

Fidelity Branded Wireless Charger
At Fidelity, accessibility is viewed as a major key to the success of their business, which is why they are challenging you to come up with innovative ways to make tech more accessible! We want you to use your hacking skills to find and build solutions that put opportunities and resources within reach for all communities. The team with the best accessibility hack will win a Fidelity branded wireless charger for each team member!

Best Use of Taipy

Wireless Headphones
Taipy is a powerful yet easy to use open-source Python library for creating full stack web applications! If you’re a Python developer, this library enables you to build interactive and dynamic graphical user interfaces and support them with data-driven backends. All of these functionalities are just a pip install taipy away and can cut your development time in half! Use Taipy in your hackathon project for a chance to win a set of Wireless Headphones for you and each of your team members, as well as a chance to have your project featured on the Taipy website!

Best Use of Auth0

Exclusive Auth0 Swag made for MLH
Auth0 wants your applications to be secure! Why spend hours building features like social sign-in, Multi-Factor Authentication, and passwordless log-in when you can enable them through Auth0 straight out of the box? Auth0 is free to try, doesn’t require a credit card, and allows for up to 7,000 free active users and unlimited log-ins. Make your new account today and use any of the Auth0 APIs for a chance to win some exclusive swag, including an Auth0 branded Rocketbook and Rubik's Cube!