SanD Hacks

San Diego's student hackathon, hosted by CSE Society at UC San Diego.

Hackathon Website: https://hackathon.csesatucsd.com

November 14-15, 2026 | In person | Qualcomm Conference Room, Jacobs Hall, UCSD

Build something in about 26 hours, with a team of 1 to 4 people, from any school and any level. SanD Hacks is an open-AI, open-internet hackathon, so use whatever tools you want.

• Free meals: lunch and dinner Saturday, breakfast and lunch Sunday
• A 24-hour snack and drink table
• Free stickers and swag
• Workshops, including a Product Design workshop by Figma
• Credits for everyone: ElevenLabs Creator tier, Neon promo credits, and $100 in Bright Data API credits per team
• Mentors and a help desk staffed throughout the event

• Best Overall Hack: Fully open-ended. Awarded for exceptional technical execution, creativity, and impact.
• UCSD Basement, Most Innovative Project: The most unique and impactful idea that addresses a real-world problem with a creative, realistically achievable solution.
• Bright Data, Data for Good: Use web data to drive positive social impact.
• ElevenLabs, Best Project Built with ElevenLabs: The best use of ElevenLabs voice and audio AI.
• Neon, Best Database-Driven / Agent Backend: The strongest database-driven app or agent backend built on Neon.
• Additional Major League Hacking Tracks: https://www.mlh.com/events/sand-hacks/prizes

• 9:00 AM Check-In (Jacobs Hall, outside Qualcomm Room)
• 10:00 AM Opening Ceremony
• 10:30 AM Hacking begins, Team Formation Mixer
• 12:30 PM Lunch
• 7:30 PM Dinner
• 10:00 PM Hacking space closes

• 7:00 AM Hacking space re-opens
• 7:30 AM Breakfast
• 11:00 AM Initial submissions due
• 12:00 PM Final submissions due, lunch
• 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM Judging and presentations
• 2:30 PM Closing Ceremony
• 3:00 PM Event concludes

Bright Data, ElevenLabs, Neon, Figma, SpaceX AI, and The Basement at UC San Diego.

Website: https://hackathon.csesatucsd.com