Key Dates

  • Registration Opens: August 4, 2025

  • Kickoff Webinar: September 6, 2025, 10:00 AM AEDT

  • Hacking Period: September 8–28, 2025

  • Submission Deadline: September 28, 2025, 10:00 PM AEDT

  • Judging Period: September 29 – October 1, 2025

  • Winners Webinar: October 2, 2025, 10:00 AM AEDT


Eligibility

  • Open worldwide to individuals who are of legal age in their country of residence.

  • Minors may participate with express permission and submission by a parent or legal guardian.

  • Teams must consist of 1–4 individuals.

  • All work submitted must be created during the hackathon period. You may use existing libraries, APIs, frameworks, or datasets, and your project can be an offshoot of prior work, but the portion submitted for judging must be new and built during the event. Whether you work on it for 1 day or all 20 days is up to you, but we recommend scoping it as a smaller, focused project or prototype that can be completed within the timeframe.

  • Each submission must include AI usage as part of the process, and be related to Australia.

  • Yes, you can enter multiple projects, as long as they are significantly different from each other.

  • All participants must agree to these rules and the terms of the hosting platforms used (e.g., Devpost, River, Discord).


Submission Requirements
Participants must submit the following materials via Devpost by the deadline:

  • Video Demo – A maximum 5-minute video demonstrating your project and its features.

  • Live Link – A working, hosted prototype (e.g., app, site, art piece, song, game, diagram, etc.)

  • Team Overview – A short description of team members and their roles (optional: portfolio or social links)

Prizes

Grand Prize (1 Team)

  • $100 AUD from MastrowCorp

  • Hackeroos Survival Packs (up to 4)

  • Lovable AI Platform Credits

  • Mentorship Session with Antler VC

  • Mentorship Session with LaunchVic (If based in Victoria)

  • Digital Hackathon Winner Badge

Honourable Mentions (2 Teams)

  • $50 AUD from MastrowCorp, each team

  • Lovable AI Platform Credits

  • Mentorship Session with LaunchVic (If based in Victoria)

  • Digital Honourable Mention Badge

Note: Prizes are subject to change and may be substituted with items of equal or greater value.


Judging Criteria
Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges based on the following equally weighted criteria:

  • Relevance & Impact
    How well does the project connect to Australia—whether by addressing a real need in the community, highlighting a unique aspect of rural or regional life, or celebrating its culture, people, or environment.

  • Originality & Creativity
    Is the idea fresh, inventive, or expressed in a uniquely creative way?

  • Technical Execution
    How effectively is AI used? Does it work as intended and show thoughtful implementation?

  • Design & Presentation
    Is the project clearly explained, visually appealing, and easy to understand or experience?

  • Feasibility & Potential
    Could the project be realistically built upon, shared, or scaled in the future?


Legal Notes & Disclaimers

  • By participating, you agree to allow Hackeroos Pty Ltd and its partners to promote and share your project for marketing, educational, and community-building purposes. You retain full ownership of your code and ideas.

  • Participants must ensure they have the right to use all content, datasets, and tools included in their project. Copyright infringement will result in disqualification.

  • Hackeroos Pty Ltd reserves the right to disqualify entries that are incomplete, violate community standards, or are submitted late.

  • Decisions of the judging panel are final and not subject to appeal.

  • Participation is voluntary and at your own risk. Hackeroos Pty Ltd is not liable for any damages, losses, or injuries incurred during participation.