CSC Winter Sparkathon

About the challenge
The CSC Winter Sparkathon is a
beginner-friendly high school hackathon
where students
build technology that brings people together and helps people support one another.
Your project can be an app, website, tool, AI project, design prototype, or physical gadget. It can help friends, families, students, teams, organizations, neighborhoods, or communities connect, communicate, cooperate, give back, or share experiences. Projects can focus on communication, collaboration, accessibility, mutual support, volunteering, community building, shared activities, mentorship, creativity, or any other way technology can strengthen connections between people.
Once you register, you will have
free access to tools
for AI, app building, cloud deployment, workflow automation, custom domains, coding education, and more throughout the hackathon, courtesy of our sponsors.
AI tools are allowed and encouraged.
You may use tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, or other coding and design assistants to brainstorm, code, debug, design, and build your project. Using AI will not lower your score. The goal is to help students explore ideas, build higher-quality projects, and see how computer science can create meaningful impact.
However, teams must disclose how they used AI and must be able to explain their project, their decisions, and how their final product works.
Stay Connected
Follow CSC throughout the hackathon for updates, reminders, project highlights, and future opportunities.
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Requirements
What to Build
Build an app, website, tool, AI project, design prototype, or physical gadget that
helps people connect, cooperate, support one another, give back, or share meaningful experiences
. Your project can be made for friends, families, students, teams, organizations, neighborhoods, communities, or any other group of people.
What to Submit
Each team must submit:
- Project name
- Short description of the problem you are solving
- Explanation of what your project does
- Demo link, website link, video, screenshots, photos, or another way for judges to understand the project
- List of tools, technologies, APIs, datasets, hardware, or AI tools used
- AI-use disclosure explaining how your team used AI during the project
- Team member names
- Source code, build files, or design files if available
For physical gadgets, submit photos or a short demo video showing the prototype. For apps, websites, and AI tools, submit a demo, GitHub repository, screenshots, or 1–2 minute video that clearly demonstrates the project.

Judging Criteria
Learning
Can the team clearly identify what they built, why they built it, how it works, and what they learned? AI tools are allowed and will not lower anyone's score, but disclosure must reveal the use of AI and show understanding of the final product.
Design
Is the project easy to understand and use? A strong project will have a clear interface, thoughtful design, simple user flow, and practical use cases.
Creativity
Is the idea thoughtful, original, or interesting? A strong project does not need to be complicated, but it should show a clear, non-generic approach to bring people together or help people support one another.
Functionality
How well does the project work? A strong project should demonstrate the core idea through a working app, website, AI tool, gadget, design prototype, demo, or clear proof of concept.
Impact
Does the project address a real problem in connecting people? An strong project will clearly identify the target group and demonstrate how the technology fosters meaningful community connection or mutual support.