20 projects will be chosen from each of the 5 rounds, and awarded $1000 per project.

At the end of all 5 rounds, 100 projects in total will advance to the finals where 5 top prizes will be awarded: $150k, $25k, $10k, $10k and $5k. In addition the 1st place project will win a residency in the Supplyframe Design lab to develop their project further.

Challenges:

Design your concept

Starts March 14th – Ends April 25th

We want to see your ideas in words and pictures. The Design Concept is the idea, it’s how you think about your project, it’s how you go about planning to solve the question you want to solve. It’s how you use your logic and creativity to move your design forward.

Minimum entry requirements:
Idea + image + documentation

1. Project Profile. Create a project profile on Hackaday.io, completing all required fields and following all instructions. Submit the Project to 2016 Hackaday Prize.

On the Project Profile:

1. Discuss the challenge which has been chosen as the subject of the project
2. Discuss how this challenge will work to alleviate or solve the problem
3. Publish at least one image to help illustrate how the project might be used. This may be a sketch, schematic, flow chart, rendering, or other type of image.
4. Link to any repositories (e.g., GitHub)
5. Document all open-source licenses and permissions as well as any applicable third-party licenses/restrictions

Anything goes

Starts April 25th – Ends May 30th

You are a nonconformist, a misfit. You’re an independent thinker, a troublemaker, and have no respect for the status quo. Build whatever you want.

Minimum entry requirements:
Idea + image + documentation + 4 build logs

1. Project Profile. Create a project profile on Hackaday.io, completing all required fields and following all instructions. Submit the Project to 2016 Hackaday Prize.

On the Project Profile:

1. Discuss the challenge which has been chosen as the subject of the project
2. Discuss how this challenge will work to alleviate or solve the problem
3. Publish at least one image to help illustrate how the project might be used. This may be a sketch, schematic, flow chart, rendering, or other type of image.
4. Show at least four Project Log updates
5. Link to any repositories (e.g., GitHub)
6. Document all open-source licenses and permissions as well as any applicable third-party licenses/restrictions

Citizen scientist

Starts May 30th – Ends July 11th

This challenge is about expanding the frontiers of knowledge. Create something new, study something undiscovered, or replicate and verify scientific studies. Need an example? Build a graphene supercapacitor, study the effects of a behavior, build an open source instrumentation device.

Minimum entry requirements:
Idea + image + documentation + 4 build logs

1. Project Profile. Create a project profile on Hackaday.io, completing all required fields and following all instructions. Submit the Project to 2016 Hackaday Prize.

On the Project Profile:

1. Discuss the challenge which has been chosen as the subject of the project
2. Discuss how this challenge will work to alleviate or solve the problem
3. Publish at least one image to help illustrate how the project might be used. This may be a sketch, schematic, flow chart, rendering, or other type of image.
4. Show at least four Project Log updates
5. Link to any repositories (e.g., GitHub)
6. Document all open-source licenses and permissions as well as any applicable third-party licenses/restrictions

Automation

Starts July 11th – Ends August 22nd

Automate your life. Program a robot to obey your every command. Build a device that makes breakfast or buys laundry detergent when you’re running low. Automatically track stuff, automate any process, build a Me-robot to do your every whim..

Minimum entry requirements:
Idea + image + documentation + 4 build logs

1. Project Profile. Create a project profile on Hackaday.io, completing all required fields and following all instructions. Submit the Project to 2016 Hackaday Prize.

On the Project Profile:

1. Discuss the challenge which has been chosen as the subject of the project
2. Discuss how this challenge will work to alleviate or solve the problem
3. Publish at least one image to help illustrate how the project might be used. This may be a sketch, schematic, flow chart, rendering, or other type of image.
4. Show at least four Project Log updates
5. Link to any repositories (e.g., GitHub)
6. Document all open-source licenses and permissions as well as any applicable third-party licenses/restrictions

Assistive technologies

Starts August 22th – Ends October 3rd

Build a project that helps others move better, see better, or live better. Whether that means exoskeletons, a better wheelchair, a braille display, or educational software, we want to see it.

Minimum entry requirements:
Idea + image + documentation + 4 build logs

1. Project Profile. Create a project profile on Hackaday.io, completing all required fields and following all instructions. Submit the Project to 2016 Hackaday Prize.

On the Project Profile:

1. Discuss the challenge which has been chosen as the subject of the project
2. Discuss how this challenge will work to alleviate or solve the problem
3. Publish at least one image to help illustrate how the project might be used. This may be a sketch, schematic, flow chart, rendering, or other type of image.
4. Show at least four Project Log updates
5. Link to any repositories (e.g., GitHub)
6. Document all open-source licenses and permissions as well as any applicable third-party licenses/restrictions