Name: RLC Hacks 2026
Start: 2026-07-26T12:00:00.000-04:00
End: 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000-04:00
Location: RLC Hacks 2026

RLC Hacks 2026

A hackathon built for builders, by builders, focused on optimizing the technology that runs our world.

Check out our site: lovhack.dev/rlc

Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/36JDXtjgCn

Host: Resera

Co-hosts: LovHack (https://lovhack.dev/) and CodeStarters (https://www.codestarters.org/)

Community Partners: GenAI Devs (https://discord.gg/fz6sn2kVyK)

What is RLC Hacks 2026?

RLC Hacks is a 1 week hackathon where your mission is to build software that optimizes the technology behind the systems we depend on every day. Open to builders of any skill level, whether you're in high school, university, or self-taught.

The goal is a working prototype but if a live prototype isn't feasible, a short video demo showcasing your project in action is expected instead.

To be clear: not a proof of concept. Not a pitch deck. A working prototype.

Tracks

Tracks will be revealed once the hackathon begins!

Why should you participate?

Honestly, why shouldn't you? This is a free hackathon with real prizes on the line, including render credits, VIP perks, platform subscriptions, and more (full prize breakdown below, and more still to be announced). Even if you don't place, it's a genuine opportunity to sharpen your skills, explore new technologies, and build something that actually matters. You'll also get to connect with other builders and become part of a growing community. Some added perks:

Certificates and plenty of awards
Recognition within the RLC community and beyond
Something real to add to your portfolio
Amazing prizes for winners, of course
Continued support for your project after the event ends

Sponsor Resources

Will be posted on the discord and website after the Hackathon starts

Requirements

Submission Requirements

Your prototype and/or video demo must be publicly accessible to everyone, no restricted links or private repositories.
Your project must be made in the time interval of the hackathon.
Your project must directly tie back to the hackathon theme, and you should be prepared to explain how and why.
All work must be original. Resubmissions of prior projects or plagiarism without proper citation will result in immediate disqualification.
You must clearly disclose where and how AI tools were used in your project, and properly cite any statistics, data, graphs, or information sourced from others.
You must join our Discord server and follow its rules throughout the event.
You must provide the full name, contact email, Discord username, GitHub username, age, current school or institution, and country for every team member to ensure prizes can be properly awarded.
We strongly recommend reading through all provided materials, including the judging criteria, so you understand exactly how your project will be evaluated.
RLC Hacks reserves the right to disqualify and withdraw any submission found to involve fraud, dishonesty, or related violations, at any point before or after judging.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

6 non-cash prizes

Grand Prize

1 winner

- Certificate of Achievement
- $300 in Featherless credits
- $500 in render credits
- $500 in Formaloo credits
- VIP perks and 1.5k points for Polaris Student
- 2000 credits for ProjectAAL ($40)
- 1-month free subscription for Test Atlas ($99)
- Coupon for $25 in AoPS products

Runner Up

1 winner

- Certificate of Achievement
- $300 in render credits
- $500 in Formaloo credits
- VIP perks and 1.5k points for Polaris Student
- 1500 credits for ProjectAAL ($30)
- 1-month free subscription for Test Atlas ($99)
- Coupon for $25 in AoPS products

Third Place

1 winner

- Certificate of Achievement
- $100 in render credits
- $500 in Formaloo credits
- VIP perks and 1.5k points for Polaris Student
- 1000 credits for ProjectAAL ($20)
- 1-month free subscription for Test Atlas ($99)
- Coupon for $25 in AoPS products

Best Video

1 winner

- Certificate of Achievement
- 1.5k points for Polaris Student
- 1-month free subscription for Test Atlas ($99)
- Coupon for $25 in AoPS products

Best Idea

1 winner

- Certificate of Achievement
- 1.5k points for Polaris Student
- 1-month free subscription for Test Atlas ($99)

Participant Prize

1,000 winners

- $50 in building credits for Render
- 10,000 credits for Firecrawl
- 250 licenses for n8n Cloud Pro
- $25 of Feather Per-Request credits
- 50 full access licenses for Interview Cake

Judges

RLC Hacks 2026 Team
Reach out to be a judge at reseraresearch1@gmail.com

Udaya Bhaskar Vemuri
Senior Application Security Analyst at Corteva Agriscience

Ravi Kiran Pagidi
Researcher and IEEE Senior Member

Sandeep Gadde
Director of Software Engineering @ Capital One | IEEE & ACM Peer Reviewer

Shrie Raam Sathyanarayanan
Health Data Analyst at Oklahoma State University

Anmol Whorra
Senior Software Engineer AWS

Mayur Jain
Senior Software Engineer @ Bridgestone Americas

Vineeth Kondisetty
Data Engineer at Meta

Khush Patel
Founding Architect at Lyzr AI

Judging Criteria

Creativity & Originality
How unique is the idea? Does the project approach the problem in a fresh or unexpected way, rather than replicating an existing solution?
Impact & Real-World Relevance
Does the project genuinely address a meaningful problem? How significant would this solution be if actually implemented?
Technical Execution
How well was the project built? Does the software function as intended, and does it demonstrate solid technical skill given the time constraints?
Thoughtfulness of Design
Was the solution built with intention? Does it clearly show that the team understood the problem deeply and made deliberate decisions in how they approached solving it, rather than just building something for the sake of building?
Presentation & Clarity
How well does the team communicate their idea? Is the problem, solution, and functionality of the project clearly explained in the video submission?