CompSoc has been Oxford’s premier society for things computing and tech related for almost 50 years, and this year OxHack is relaunching as a semi-independent flagship event. 

Main Challenges

Build something (anything!). That's it! There’s no required theme or problem to solve. Find an idea you’re excited about, form a team, and see what you can create during OxHack.

Sponsors may also offer optional challenges and prizes alongside the main hackathon.

Get started

You don’t need to arrive with an idea or a team. We’ll run team-building sessions at the start of OxHack to help you meet other participants, share ideas, and find people to build with.

Requirements

What to Build

Anything! There are no constraints on what your project needs to be. Hardware hacks, apps, websites, games, AI projects, creative experiments, physical builds, and no-code projects are all encouraged. 

What to Submit

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

13 non-cash prizes
First Place
1 winner

This is a general prize catergory. Awarded by OxHack Committee and friends.

Runner Up
1 winner

This is a general prize category. Awarded by OxHack and friends.

[Hackathons UK] Hackiest Hack
1 winner

Build something over-the-top over engineered and held together with string. Use your imagination. Our favourite project will win Shark Plushes for each team member.

Best Handmade Prize
1 winner

Judged by Tom 7!

Get creative and build something from scratch.

This challenge is with thank to Citadel.

[HRT] Best Use of Data for Predictions and Decision Making
1 winner

Use your creativity to make the best use of data.

[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs
1 winner

Wireless Earbuds ||

Deploy natural, human-sounding audio with ElevenLabs. Create realistic, dynamic, and emotionally expressive voices for any project, from interactive AI companions to narrated stories and voice-enabled apps. ElevenLabs will empower you to build rich, immersive experiences without the need for actors or complex audio production, using simply the power of AI.

Integrate fully autonomous audio experiences into your hack with ElevenLabs and give your project a voice, along with giving your team the chance to win some wireless earbuds!

[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API
1 winner

MLH Swag Kits ||

It’s time to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI using Google Gemini. Check out the Gemini API to build AI-powered apps that make your friends say WHOA. So, what can Gemini do for your hackathon project?

Understand language like a human and build a chatbot that gives personalized advice
Analyze info like a supercomputer and create an app that summarizes complex research papers
Generate creative content like code, scripts, music, and more
Think of the possibilities… what will you build with the Google Gemini API this weekend?

[MLH] Best Use of Solana
1 winner

Unruggable Hardware Wallets ||

The world of development is evolving fast and Solana is leading the charge with a network built to handle all of your infrastructure needs. Forget high fees and slow confirmations, it’s time to build applications that are fast, efficient, and scalable.

Harness Solana’s core advantages like blazing fast execution and near-zero transaction costs to make your hackathon ideas become real world projects. With Solana, the possibilities are endless.

Create a game, social app, or consumer product that relies on instant, high-frequency transactions.
Design a sophisticated trading, lending, or decentralized exchange (DEX).
Build a prototype for supply chain, identity, or payments that can handle massive, real-world volume.
Show us how you can innovate with Solana for a chance to win Unruggable Hardware Wallets for you and each member of your team!

[MLH] Best Use of Tiger Data
1 winner

Stream Deck Mini ||

Building high-performance apps under hackathon deadlines shouldn't mean spending half your weekend configuring complex databases or learning obscure query languages. Tiger Data extends PostgreSQL to give student developers an ultra-fast foundation for real-time data, time-series metrics, and complex analytics.

Why build with Tiger Data this weekend?

Standard SQL Power: Query massive datasets instantly using the SQL you already know, with no complex NoSQL aggregation pipelines required.

Unified Data Stack: Store relational user profiles and high-frequency metric streams side-by-side in a single database.

Instant Dashboards: Serve lag-free, real-time frontend charts using pre-computed Continuous Aggregates.

90%+ Data Compression: Store millions of events on free-tier cloud instances without running out of disk space.

Whether you’re building real-time IoT monitoring, AI-driven analytics dashboards, or financial prediction engines, show us how Tiger Data powers your project. The team that demonstrates the most innovative, impactful, and performance-driven use of Tiger Data will take home some great prizes!

[MLH] Best Use of Presage
1 winner

Fitbit Inspire & Presage Perks ||

Presage is pioneering the Human Sensing Layer, enabling any application to understand a person’s real-time physical and emotional state. With Presage, you can leverage clinically-proven vital signs, movement, emotion, and/or focus tracking to build a project that gives the standard camera super powers.

Use any of the Presage SDKs to integrate capabilities like real-time heart rate, breathing rate, engagement levels, and facial expressions into your hack with just a few lines of code.

Immersive Gaming & Entertainment: Dynamically change game difficulty or story elements based on a player's excitement or focus levels.
Contactless Wellness & Fitness: Build a non-invasive app that monitors stress, recovery, or fitness performance.
Accessibility & Security: Utilize vital signs for effortless authentication, or to enhance accessibility.
Productivity: Design a tool that tracks focus or stress.
Build your next hack with Presage and show us the future of human-computer interaction! Win awesome prizes along for with the following perks from the Presage team:
Free refills for Presage Development credits to accelerate you through your next three months of building
30% off all Presage usage charges for your first year after going live

[MLH] Best Use of Vultr
1 winner

M5Stack Official Tab5 ||

Vultr empowers hackers to bring their high-performance projects to life instantly; providing everything from the speed of one-click deployment and scalable cloud compute, to specialized Vultr Cloud GPUs that can power AI-driven applications. We want you to push the limits of what can be built when infrastructure is no longer the bottleneck!

Sign up for a Vultr account today and claim your free cloud credits! Take your next hack to the cloud with Vultr for a chance to win some awesome prizes for you and your team!

[MLH] Best Use of Snowflake API
1 winner

Arduino Student Kit ||

Play with industry-leading LLMs on a single account using the Snowflake APIs. Adding AI capabilities into your application can be as simple as a single CURL command to Snowflake’s REST API.

Build customized applications, RAG powered chat bots, or embed AI-powered features into your app in half the time with half the hassle. Get started for free with a special, student 120-day Snowflake trial and check out this repository for an example of the Snowflake REST API in action.

Built with Delta: Show off how you worked together in Delta. Extra points for projects that solve real problems.
1 winner

Work sync (or async) alongside teammates and agents. Use Delta from brainstorming/ideation, building, all the way through testing. Share your Delta threads to show examples of how you collaborated.

What We’re Looking For
> Projects that feel fast — snappy UX, zero unnecessary friction.
> Projects that solve a real problem. Not a demo. Something you’d actually open tomorrow.
> Projects that are thoughtful. Clean code, smart architecture, good decisions.

Prompts to Get You Started
> What slows you down when you’re coding? What if that friction disappeared?
> What’s broken about collaborating on code with teammates or AI?
> What would you build if latency wasn’t a constraint?
> What context do you lose every time you switch tasks — and how do you get it back?

How You Win
> Speed & Performance (30%) — Does it feel fast? Is the UX snappy and responsive?
> Technical Implementation (25%) — Clean code, smart architecture, good use of Rust or collaboration features.
> Innovation (25%) — Fresh idea. Real problem. New angle.
> Polish & Usability (20%) — Would you actually use this? Does it delight?

Download Delta https://delta.dev/download
Tokens: Use OpenRouter tokens in Delta. Docs here: https://delta.dev/docs/agents/models-and-providers#add-an-api-key

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

OxHack Committee & Volunteers

OxHack Committee & Volunteers

Holly Packer

Holly Packer
Hackathons UK

Oscar Ryley

Oscar Ryley
MajorLeagueHacking

Tom Murphy VII

Tom Murphy VII

Judging Criteria

  • Creativity
  • Technicality
  • Completeness
  • Presentation/ Hackathon Spirit

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Partners

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