Participating in hackathons—competition-style timed events in which teams collaborate on solving problems—can be extremely enriching and fun for students in high school who are looking to sharpen their coding and critical thinking skills.

In this post, we dive into the top 10 high school hackathons in 2024 to participate in.

1. HackMIT Description: Open to all skill levels, high school students engage in a weekend-long learnathon and hackathon at MIT.

Students learn coding skills and work on a computer science project with the support of mentors.

Team formation and ideation sessions will be held.

Location & Date: In-person at MIT; early March Eligibility: High school student; application due early February Cost: Free.

Travel will be reimbursed on a per-mile basis.

Difficulty: Beginner-friendly (no coding experience required)

2. Hack3 Description: A 24-hour global high school hackathon, students first engage in workshops hosted by industry professionals, with topics ranging from breaking into blockchain to machine learning on AWS.

Then, they work in a team to develop a software project that solves a pressing issue.

Location & Date: Virtual; Late June Eligibility: Any student enrolled in high school Cost: Free.

Need-based financial assistance is available to compensate for internet and equipment costs incurred attending Hack

3. Difficulty: Beginner-friendly (no coding experience required)

3. PennApps Description: The oldest college and high school hackathon in the US, over a thousand students each year congregate on Penn's campus and engage in a weekend of working on software and hardware solutions to real-world problems.

Projects dabble in different platforms and vary in terms of application.

Teams of up to four people are allowed.

Location & Date: In-person at the University of Pennsylvania; Mid-September Eligibility: Any college, university, or high school student 15 years or older.

Application due mid-late July.

Cost: Free.

Drinks, meals, and snacks are provided free-of-charge.

Travel is reimbursed.

Difficulty: Fairly difficult, considering the bar for admission traditionally has been set high.

Students will likely be competing against the brightest minds in the nation and internationally.

Prizes: Thousands of dollars worth of prizes; top prizes ranged in the past from iPad minis to Nintendo Switches.

4. Nasa International Space Apps Challenge Description: Hosted by NASA, thousands around the world come together for this global hackathon and address challenges in teams of one to six members.

Teams develop projects with the use of free and open data from NASA and its Space Agency Partners.

Each year, a theme for the event is chosen.

In 2023, the theme was "Explore Open Science Together. " Location & Date: Virtual; Early October Eligibility: Anyone, but those under the age of 18 must be registered by a parent or legal guardian.

Applications close on June 15, 202

4. Cost: Free Difficulty: Fairly difficult.

The event is extremely popular with thousands of registrations per year and only 10 prizes.

Prizes: Global Winners receive an invitation to the Winners Celebration, in which winners will visit a NASA center for an award ceremony and engage with NASA leaders and learn about scientific developments at NASA.

5. Mhacks Description: Run by the University of Michigan and started in 2013, Mhacks brings together around a thousand participants every year for its annual competition and has partnered with sponsors like Google in the past.

Each year, participants develop software and hardware-based solutions in teams of up to 4 members.

Location & Date: In-person at the University of Michigan; Mid-April Eligibility: Anyone that is 18 or above.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; however, applying is early is advised as spots may fill up quickly.

Cost: Free.

Food is provided.

Note that overnight accommodations are not provided.

Difficulty: Prizes: 1st—$3000; 2nd—$1500; 3rd—$500

6. Stanford ACM ProCo Description: Hosted by the Stanford Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Stanford ACM ProCo is a computer science contest held annually for high school students in the Bay Area.

Students compete in teams of up to three and solve 9-15 unweighted algorithmic problems during a 3-hour timeframe.

The contest is split into two divisions: Novice and Advanced.

The problem set is shared for both divisions, but placements will be determined within each division.

Location & Date: Stanford University; Mid-April/Spring each year Eligibility: High school students in the Bay Area Cost: Free Difficulty: Fair (most competitors have at least one year of programming experience; knowledge of advanced data structures is not necessary, though could be helpful) Prizes: Varies from year to year.

Previous prizes have included iPad Minis and Nintendo 3DSes.

7. NASA App Development Challenge Description: Middle and high school students are welcome to participate in the App Development Challenge.

Students are presented technical problems related to deep space exploration missions.

The minimum team size is 5 students with no maximum and must be led by a sponsor or educator.

Teams have 10 week sto submit a video presenting their technical solution to a proposed problem.

Top teams advance to an interview round, from which 7 teams will be selected to travel to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Location & Date: Virtual; Video due around December.

Culminating event for top teams in Houston occurs in mid-April.

Eligibility: High school and middle school students.

Cost: Free.

Teams register in September.

Difficulty: Fairly difficult.

Competition is expected to be high considering the breadth of the program.

Prizes: Opportunity to travel to the Johnson Space Center.

8. Los Altos Hacks Description: One of the largest high school hackathons in the world, this competition spans 24 hours and includes workshops, team mixers, and fun events like Smash Bros.

Tournaments and cup stacking.

Participants hack in teams of four and receive guidance from mentors during the competition.

Location & Date: Juniper Aspiration Dome; Early-April Eligibility: Any high school student Cost: Free.

Includes catered breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

Difficulty: Beginner-friendly (no coding experience required) Prizes: In past years, prizes have included $1000 in cash, iPads, AirPods Pros, and 3D Printers.

Participants receive swag for attending the hackathon.

9. Major League Hacking (MLH) Hackathons Description: The MLH is the official student hackathon league run by hackers, for hackers.

The league powers over 300 weekend competitions attended by beginner to veteran hackers every year and partners with major brands to run their competitions.

Location & Date: Varies Eligibility: High school to college students Cost: Varies.

Almost all are free.

Difficulty: Varies; many are beginner friendly (requires no coding experience) Prizes: Varies 1

0. Hack Club High School Hackathons Description: Hack Club is a global nonprofit that hosts a network of high school computer enthusiasts.

Hack Club maintains a list (linked right above) of high school hackathons hosted by various high schools and organizations across the country.

Location & Date: Varies Eligibility: High school student.

Application processes vary.

Cost: Varies.

Almost all are free.

Difficulty: Varies; many are beginner friendly (requires no coding experience) Prizes: Varies Concluding Remarks for High School Hackathons Hackathons are far from the only high school STEM competitions out there.

Regardless if you're set on computer science or still dabbling in multiple fields, check out this list of 50+ curated STEM opportunities for high school students.

In conclusion, we provided the top 10 high school hackathons in 2024 in this post.

Ranging in location, time, and difficulty, it's highly likely you're bound to find one that accommodates your circumstances.

Happy hunting and hacking! 👾.