For 25 hours beginning at 10 a.m. on November 4, students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and other area universities will participate in a marathon of coding as they compete in HackRPI X. It will be held in-person at RPI’s Darrin Communications Center. Free registration is available online at https://hackrpi.com/.

This is HackRPI’s 10th annual hackathon, and a record 400 attendees are expected on campus. The event is open to both RPI and non-RPI students. No experience is required to participate. This year’s theme is Change the World.

Following the opening ceremony, participants may choose to work individually or in a team of up to four people. Then, they will begin development on a project that fits into one or multiple of the available prize categories with a cumulative value of $18,875! #1 Best Hack, #2 Best Hack, Best in Patient Safety Tech, Web3, Best AI Hack, Best Education Hack, and Cyber Security Hack winners will all get cash prizes ranging from $375 to $1,500. In addition, there are six categories for additional smaller prizes.

Workshops will be held to teach participants about all areas of tech, whether they are beginners or advanced. Meals, snacks, and drinks will be provided for participants. Faculty will serve as judges.

HackRPI X sponsors include Nuvalence, Call for Code, GlobalFoundries, Patient Safety Technology Challenge, RPI’s School of Science, WB Games New York, Lutron, and the Rensselaer Center for Open Source, among others. They will offer a tech career fair during the event.

“HackRPI is an excellent opportunity to collaborate and get inspired,” said Maryellen Marino ’24, president of the HackRPI organizing team. “Participants learn about what is applicable to their desired careers. Computer science involves more theory than application, whereas hackathons are all application. HackRPI is a positive community with a fun event, and I encourage anyone interested to register for free, enjoy a new experience, and make new friends.”

Last year, the winning team developed launchmeet, which allows people to find nearby rocket launches and connect with other interested people. The theme was space.