MLH Member Event — Participant Information Sheet
Based on: MLH Member Event Guidelines, 2027 Hackathon Season (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027), last updated May 22, 2026.
Important note before you use this: This source document is MLH's organizer policy — the rules hackathon organizers must follow to keep their "MLH Member Event" status. It does not contain a specific dollar-value prize list for tracks. Actual track prize money is decided per-event and confirmed by MLH with each organizing team during their pre-event "handoff call," then published on the event's own submission platform (Devpost, etc.) and at hack.mlh.io/prizes. If you need exact prize amounts for a specific hackathon, that has to come from that event's own prize page — not this document.
1. What Prizes Are Guaranteed at an MLH Member Event
| Prize Type | Details |
|---|---|
| MLH Winner Pins | Given to the overall event winners as physical pins, distributed at the closing ceremony. |
| MLH Partner Category Prizes | Select prizes from MLH's sponsor/partner network. Exact prizes are confirmed by MLH with organizers before the event and listed at hack.mlh.io/prizes. |
| Software & Swag | Every registered hacker gets access to the MLH Software Lab (hosting credits, free domains, LLM access, and more), plus MLH/partner swag (season tees, stickers, "I Demoed" stickers, etc.) — not a cash prize, but part of the value participants receive. |
| Hardware (select events only) | A limited number of North American events receive hardware kits (microcontrollers, Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, etc.) to lend out — availability varies by event. |
Judging & prize timing rule: All judging and prize awards must be completed on the last day of the event (usually Sunday). Events are not allowed to judge or announce winners after the event ends via video submission.
2. Eligibility Criteria for Participants
- Free to attend — MLH Member Events cannot charge an entry fee.
- Primarily a student event — at least 80% of attendees must be students at the time of the event, or have graduated within the current academic year (any level: middle/high school, university, bootcamp, homeschool, online, etc.).
- No elimination rounds — every participant who is checked in is allowed to hack for the full duration of the event; nobody is sent home early or cut before the end.
- AI/LLM use is allowed — MLH requires member events to let hackers use generative AI and LLM tools.
- Location restrictions — the organizing hackathon itself must be based in one of MLH's supported regions:
- North America: United States, Canada, Mexico
- Europe: United Kingdom, EU, and select other European countries
- Asia-Pacific: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and select Southeast Asia / East Asia / Australasia countries
- Duration — events run 24–48 hours, typically Friday–Sunday or Saturday–Sunday.
- English requirement — the event website and official announcements must be in English (bilingual announcements encouraged where relevant).
3. What Participants Must Agree to at Registration
Every hacker registering must check two required boxes:
- MLH Code of Conduct — "I have read and agree to the MLH Code of Conduct."
- Event Logistics Information — authorization to share registration data with MLH for event administration, ranking, and MLH/DEV account creation, in line with the MLH Privacy Policy, MLH Contest Terms & Conditions, and MLH Privacy Policy.
Plus one optional box:
- Communication from MLH — opt-in to receive occasional emails about events, careers, and community announcements from MLH/DEV.
Required registration info collected: first name, last name, age, email, school name, phone number, country of residence, current level of study.
4. Project Submission Requirements (for Prize Eligibility)
To be eligible for any prize category, submitted projects generally need to include:
- Project title
- Team member names, emails, and school names
- URL to the project page or code repository
- Project description
- Prize categories applied for
- Technologies used
- Any other metadata the event's submission platform requests
5. Quick Reference — What to Tell Participants
- ✅ It's free to attend.
- ✅ You must be a student (or recent grad within the academic year) — 80%+ of attendees are.
- ✅ You'll hack the full event — no early elimination.
- ✅ AI/LLM tools are welcome.
- ✅ Judging and all prizes are decided and awarded on the final day, live.
- ⚠️ Specific track prize amounts are not in MLH's general policy — check your event's own Devpost/submission page or hack.mlh.io/prizes for exact prize values.
Source: MLH Member Event Guidelines — for official prize lists, see hack.mlh.io/prizes or your specific event's submission platform.