Frontier Cascadia is a one-day hybrid hackathon for high school students who want to build something real.
On September 12, 2026, students will get 12 hours to build real software from scratch, either in person at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington in Seattle or live online.
This is not a classroom exercise or a science fair. Build software that solves a problem, tells a story, or changes how someone sees the world. Web apps, mobile apps, hardware projects, games, AI tools, browser extensions, and other working projects are all welcome.
Entry is completely free, with $10,000+ in prizes, cloud credits, developer tools, workshops, mentors, and judging from engineers and professionals who build products for a living.
You can come with an idea, form a team at the event, bring friends, or hack solo. Teams may have up to 4 members.
Remote participants follow the same schedule, submit through Devpost, and present to judges using the same judging rubric. In-person participation is strongly encouraged for students who live in the Greater Seattle area.
SCHEDULE
8:30 AM - Doors Open
9:00 AM - Opening & Rules
9:10 AM - Hacking Begins
12:00 PM - Working Lunch & Workshops
3:00 PM - Late Check-in Closes
5:30 PM - Submissions Close
5:45 PM - Expo Judging
7:00 PM - Finalists Announced
7:25 PM - Finalist Demos
7:55 PM - Awards & Closing
8:30 PM - End
LOCATION
In person:
Foster School of Business at the University of Washington
Founders Hall
4215 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA 98195
Online:
Participate live from wherever you are.
Frontier Cascadia is built by students, for students. We are creating the space, tools, mentorship, and runway for ambitious young builders to ship something real, and get to test it afterward in the real world too!
Requirements
WHAT TO BUILD
Build a working project during Frontier Cascadia.
Your project can be a web app, mobile app, hardware project, game, AI tool, browser extension, or anything else that works.
Projects should be substantially built during the hackathon. Before the event, you may plan, sketch ideas, read documentation, and prepare an empty repository with boilerplate and dependencies installed. You may not arrive with the core project already built; doing so will result in disqualification. AI tools are allowed but require documentation in a submission file detailing which tools were used and at which paid tiers, etc.
TEAM SIZE
Teams may have 1 to 4 members.
Everyone on the team must be an eligible and registered Frontier Cascadia participant.
DEVPOST SUBMISSION
Submit your project on Devpost by 5:30 PM Pacific Time on September 12, 2026.
Your submission should include:
1. Project name
2. A clear description of what your project does
3. The problem your project addresses
4. How you built it
5. Technologies used (including AI items as mentioned prior)
6. A link to your code repository, where applicable
7. Images, screenshots, or other visuals showing the project
8. A working demo or demonstration of the project
Projects must include something functional that judges can evaluate. A presentation or concept without a working implementation is not sufficient.
If your project uses hardware or cannot reasonably be hosted online, provide a clear demonstration showing the project working.
JUDGING
Participants must be prepared to demonstrate their project to judges after submissions close.
Remote participants will present online and will be evaluated using the same judging rubric as in-person participants.
PRIZE ELIGIBILITY
The Grand Prize, Runner-Up, Third Place, and Crowd Favorite awards are available to in-person teams only.
Remote projects remain eligible for the Frontier Award and applicable track awards.
Prizes
Grand Prize
$4,000 cash + $16,000+ additional value
Second Place
$1,500 cash + $6,500+ additional value
3rd Place
$1,000 cash + $5,000+ additional value
Best AI for Good
$500 cash + $5,500+ additional value
PNW Impact Award
$500 cash + $3,500+ additional value
Frontier Award - For the team that attempted something nobody else would have tried
$500 cash + $4,500+ additional value
Best Automated Software Engineering Project
$500 cash + $4,000+ additional value
Best FinTech Project
$500 cash + $4,000+ additional value
Best IoT & Connected Systems Project
$500 cash + $7,500+ additional value
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Aayush Shah
Amazon AGI
Surbhi Jha
NVIDIA
Mo Zhou
Eastside Preparatory School
Jonathan Briggs
Eastside Preparatory School
Rishi Cheruku
Amazon
Vildan Idrisov
Judging Criteria
-
Substance
Strength of the problem, originality of the idea, technical depth, and significance of what the team attempted -
Execution
Functionality, technical implementation, quality of the build, user experience, and demonstration -
Business
Usefulness, target user or customer, real-world potential, and the team's ability to explain why the project matters
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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