Mark your calendars for August 21st to 23rd as we kick off an inspiring weekend of creativity and innovation at NextStep Hacks 2026! This year's theme, Earth Forward, is all about tackling environmental challenges with technology and bold ideas. From climate resilience and renewable energy to conservation, sustainable agriculture, and waste reduction, this is your chance to build projects that protect our planet and create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

HackAlphaX, the visionary force behind NextStep Hacks, was founded by students committed to shaping the future of STEM and making technology accessible to all. Over the past six years, our events have reached and inspired over 2,300 students, fostering a vibrant community of changemakers.

This week-long experience is packed with exciting activities:

  • Engaging workshops to expand your skills.
  • Thrilling raffles and giveaways for participants.
  • Mentor sessions to guide your projects.
  • A celebration of innovation with countless opportunities to connect and collaborate.

We can’t wait to welcome you to NextStep Hacks 2026. Join us on this journey to create a future that’s truly Limitless!

Those interested in judging or volunteering please fill out this form: Volunteer/Judging Form. 

Join our discord for more information, announcements, and help from workshop hosts and judges. If you need to reach the team with any questions you can contact them through the server as well. Here is the invite link: https://discord.gg/hFxwvgZDsh.

To tune into the opening ceremony, workshops, and closing ceremony, take a look at our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@hackalphax.

Requirements

Theme Statement

Our planet is facing unprecedented environmental challenges—from climate change and pollution to biodiversity loss and resource depletion. As these issues continue to grow, so does the need for innovative solutions that protect ecosystems, promote sustainability, and build more resilient communities. This year's theme, Earth Forward, invites participants to use technology to create meaningful environmental impact.

Your challenge is to identify a pressing environmental problem affecting your community or the world and develop a creative solution to address it. Whether it's reducing waste, improving renewable energy, conserving water, protecting wildlife, monitoring ecosystems, advancing sustainable agriculture, or helping communities adapt to climate change, your project has the potential to make a lasting difference.

We encourage you to collaborate with local organizations, environmental groups, researchers, or community members to ensure your solution addresses real-world needs. Through this hackathon, you'll not only strengthen your technical and problem-solving skills but also contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future. Let's build a better planet—together!

Submission

All submissions are required to have:

  • A video demonstration / pitch no longer than 5 minutes.
  • A link to the repository or code for viewing.
  • A link (if applicable) to the live website or application.

We do allow you to submit your project to other hackathons (this week only) as long as the other hackathon also allows this.

If you're continuing work on an old project, you MUST specify in your Devpost what was worked on 1) before the hackathon and 2) during the hackathon.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$1,750+ in prizes
+ other prizes
1st Place
$1,000 in cash
1 winner

- $1000 Cash
- $500 worth of Claude Credits
- Final Round Interview @ YC Startup
- 2 AOPS Coupons
- XYZ Domains
- 1 year of NordVPN, NordPass, Saily, & Incogni

2nd Place
$500 in cash
1 winner

- $500 Cash
- $250 worth of Claude Credits
- 1 AOPS Coupon
- XYZ Domains
- 1 year of NordVPN, NordPass, Saily, & Incogni

3rd Place
$250 in cash
1 winner

- $250 Cash
- $100 worth of Claude Credits
- 1 AOPS Coupon
- XYZ Domains
- 1 year of NordVPN, NordPass, Saily, & Incogni

Participation Prizes
700 winners

- 1000 Wolfram Alpha: Desktop and Cloud access, full access to the Wolfram Language and Knowledgebase, FreeCDF Deployment, 5000 Wolfram|Alpha API calls, 5000 Cloud Credits, 2 installations per user and 2 GB of Cloud Storage worth $830
- 350 XYZ Domains

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

HackAlphaX Team

HackAlphaX Team

Judging Criteria

  • Originality
    Has this project been done before at hackathons in the past? How creative is their project in solving the problem at hand?
  • Adherence to Track
    Does the hack adhere to "Earth Forward"? Does it implement this theme fully or just partially?
  • Completion
    Does the hack work? Did the team achieve everything they wanted?
  • Learning
    Did the team stretch themselves? Did they try to learn something new? What kind of projects have they worked on before?
  • Design
    Did the team put thought into the user experience? How well designed is the interface?
  • Technology
    How technically impressive was the hack? Was the technical problem the team tackled difficult? Did it use a particularly clever technique or did it use many different components? Did the technology involved make you go "wow"?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

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