| About

Citrus Hack is the University of California, Riverside (UCR)'s oldest 24 hour hackathon hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), bringing together students from all backgrounds to build, learn, and create (develop, design, innovate).

Citrus Hack's goal is to create a place where students can create with the freedom of their creativity. Established for students by students, the hackathon has since become one of Southern California’s premier collegiate hackathons and is a place where students can turn their ideas into impactful innovations.

Citrus Hack provides builders of all years, majors, and skill levels the chance to develop projects, present to a panel of industry judges, and compete for tracks and prizes!

Throughout April 18-19, 2026, hackers will have direct access to hands-on workshops, engaging activities, mentorship from industry professionals and connect with peers across interdisciplinary fields.

| Key Information

To be considered for our tracks and prizes:

1. ALL PARTICIPANTS are REQUIRED to register and be accepted through our website: citrushack.com

2. The GitHub repo link must be submitted (to our Devpost) before hacking ends (4/19/26 at 10 AM)

3. Majority of your team must be in person for judging (4/19/26 at 10 AM in Winston Chung 205/206). See below for more information:

The distribution provided is the minimum amount of people from your team that is required to be in person for judging:

Teams of 1: 1 person
Teams of 2: 2 people
Teams of 3: 2 people
Teams of 4: 3 people

| Connect with Us: Our Platforms

Core links: citrushack.com (website) • Discord • All Links • citrushack@gmail.com (email)

Socials: @citrushack_ucr (Instagram) • citrushack (LinkedIn)

More opportunities: acmucr.carrd.co (ACM) • linktr.ee/cutiehack_ucr (Cutie Hack - our sibling hackathon)

| Get Started: Registration, Submission, & Judging Requirements

Register: All participants must register (and be accepted) at citrushack.com through particpant form and on our Devpost
Form a Team: Teams can have 1 to 4 members
Plan Your Project: This year, we have 15+ tracks (see submission requirements). You and your team are free to build your project around these tracks, but we highly encourage having it be planned around this year’s theme - spy!
Build: Start coding once hacking kicks off on April 18 at 10 AM! All projects must be started and completed during the 24 hour period
Use GitHub: Your code must be hosted on GitHub. Ensure that all commits are time stamped during the hackathon window to qualify for judging and to be considered for our tracks
Submit Your Project: Turn in your project through Devpost by the deadline. Scroll below for the precise submission requirements!
Judging: Majority of your team must be present in person to pitch your project to judges on April 19 at 10 AM. Be ready to present your project and answer questions from judges

Requirements

| What to Build

Anything to your heart’s desire! Our theme this year is spy. This year, we bring forth 10+ tracks across our 4 tailored pathways:

Overall: 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place
Impact: Social Impact & Accessibility, Education, Health & Wellness
Specializations: Beginner Hack, AI/ML & Data, Hardware Build, UI/UX & Product Design
Company challenges: Gemini API, ElevenLabs, Solana, Vultr, .Tech Domain Name

| What to Submit (to Devpost - this page!)

Ensure all team members are invited to your Devpost submission link (REQUIRED)
GitHub repository link to your project's codebase (REQUIRED)
Description of your project, what it does, and what problems it solves (REQUIRED)
- Indicate the top 3 track(s) your team is aiming/eligible for (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place do not count)
Live demo/website link if available (OPTIONAL, but helpful)
Video demo (OPTIONAL, but helpful)
Figma design file (OPTIONAL)

| What to Submit (to Our Website - citrushack.com)

In the participant portal, create your team and link your Devpost and GitHub repository (REQUIRED)
Make sure that your team name is the same as your project name! (REQUIRED)

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

16 non-cash prizes

Best Overall: 1st Place

1 winner

Prize: company interviews and (waffle maker OR noodle maker)

Top project overall.

Best Overall: 2nd Place

1 winner

Prize: company interviews

Runner up overall.

Best Overall: 3rd Place

1 winner

Prize: company interviews

2nd runner up overall.

Social Impact & Accessibility

1 winner

Prize: chargers

Focus on improving the world by addressing social issues and promoting positive change and outcomes.

Education

1 winner

Prize: board games

Focus on improving how others learn or teach through engaging, personalization, etc.

Health & Wellness

1 winner

Prize: plushies

Focus on solutions geared towards mental health, nutrition, etc.

Best Solo Hacker

1 winner

Prize: keyboard

Provided to the participant who has the most impressive solo hack (team of 1).

Beginner Hack

1 winner

Prize: Minecraft item prop

This is the 1st hackathon majority of a team has attended.

AI/ML & Data

1 winner

Prize: speakers

Top and most effective usage of AI/ML or data processing.

Hardware Build

1 winner

Prize: MasterHUB

Best incorporation of hardware that meshes well with software.

UI/UX & Product Design

1 winner

Prize: Lego flowers

Most clean, easy-to-use interface. Design is an important aspect here.

[MLH] Best Use of Gemini API - APIs

1 winner

Prize: Google Swag Kits

It’s time to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI using Google Gemini. Check out the Gemini API to build AI-powered apps that make your friends say WHOA. So, what can Gemini do for your hackathon project?
• Understand language like a human and build a chatbot that gives personalized advice
• Analyze info like a supercomputer and create an app that summarizes complex research papers
• Generate creative content like code, scripts, music, and more
• Think of the possibilities… what will you build with the Google Gemini API this weekend?

[MLH] Best Use of ElevenLabs - Audio & Voice

1 winner

Prize: Wireless Earbuds

Deploy natural, human-sounding audio with ElevenLabs. Create realistic, dynamic, and emotionally expressive voices for any project, from interactive AI companions to narrated stories and voice-enabled apps. ElevenLabs will empower you to build rich, immersive experiences without the need for actors or complex audio production, using simply the power of AI.

Integrate fully autonomous audio experiences into your hack with ElevenLabs and give your project a voice, along with giving your team the chance to win some wireless earbuds!

[MLH] Best Use of Solana - Blockchain

1 winner

Prize: Ledger Nano S Plus

The world of development is evolving fast and Solana is leading the charge with a network built to handle all of your infrastructure needs. Forget high fees and slow confirmations, it’s time to build applications that are fast, efficient, and scalable.
• Harness Solana's core advantages like blazing fast execution and near-zero transaction costs to make your hackathon ideas become real world projects. With Solana, the possibilities are endless.
• Create a game, social app, or consumer product that relies on instant, high-frequency transactions.
• Design a sophisticated trading, lending, or decentralized exchange (DEX).
• Build a prototype for supply chain, identity, or payments that can handle massive, real-world volume.
• Show us how you can innovate with Solana for a chance to win some cool prizes for you and each member of your team!

[MLH] Best Use of Vultr - Cloud

1 winner

Prize: Portable Screens

Vultr empowers hackers to bring their high-performance projects to life instantly; providing everything from the speed of one-click deployment and scalable cloud compute, to specialized Vultr Cloud GPUs that can power AI-driven applications. We want you to push the limits of what can be built when infrastructure is no longer the bottleneck!

Sign up for a Vultr account today and claim your free cloud credits! Take your next hack to the cloud with Vultr for a chance to win some awesome portable screens for you and your team!

[MLH] Best .Tech Domain Name

1 winner

Prize: Desktop Microphone & a Free .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years!

Make your Team's Achievements timeless: Win a .Tech Domain Name for up to 10 years to Showcase and Expand Your Project, Plus Desktop Mics for Effortless Collaboration on Zoom, empowering you to build even more cool things together!