The Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will be hosting the seventh annual HackUConn event on Friday, Feb. 28. The event is a 20-hour hackathon where students form groups and attempt to create and program an innovation relating to this year’s theme: “Universities of Tomorrow,” according to HackUConn’s website.
HackUConn 2025 will be hosted in Peter J. Werth Residence Tower and will run from 4 p.m. on Friday to 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. The event is open to all undergraduate UConn students, regardless of major or coding experience.
Students will form groups of up to five members and, once the event begins, teams will have 20 hours to come up with innovative ideas relating to the theme and then build a prototype of that idea, according to HackUConn’s website. The competition will finish with each team pitching their idea in front of a panel of judges, who will select this year’s winners.
The winning teams will receive cash prizes and scholarships. The top three teams at HackUConn 2024, last year’s event, received prizes of $2,000, $1,000 and $500, respectively, according to their website. One team’s innovation will also be selected to win the crowd favorite award. Previous winners have gone on to pitch their ideas to UConn’s Get Seeded, an event where students can pitch ideas to potentially receive funding.
According to their website, participants in the event will be provided with breakfast, dinner and snacks during the competition and will have opportunities to listen to guest speakers, participate in workshops and network with industry professionals.
Previous winners have included “AI Assisted Air Traffic Control,” “Comic Bot, an AI powered ‘choose your own story’ comic creator with AI generated illustrations” and “SurroundSound, an anonymous platform for sharing songs based on a person’s current emotion that helps relieve stress and to release negative emotion,” according to HackUConn’s website.
According to a UConn Today article, HackUConn is “a chance for creative thinkers, problem solvers, and anyone eager to make a difference to come together for the greater good.” All students are welcome to participate, “whether you’re into design, business, marketing, or simply passionate about creating positive change.”
The Werth Institute hosts many other events throughout the year, including networking events, expos and competitions. “The Institute seeks to unlock an innovative mindset in every student,” according to its website. More information about the Werth Institute and HackUConn 2025 can be found on their websites.