STARK Official Hackathon

Start with an idea. End with something real.

The STARK Official Hackathon is a challenge for builders, developers, designers, creators, game developers, and problem solvers to turn ideas into real, working products.

Over 25 days, teams will work together to identify a problem or concept, develop an idea, build a functional solution, and document the entire journey. The goal is not just to write code, but to demonstrate how your team thinks, collaborates, creates, and ships under pressure.

Teams can participate in software/product development or game development.

For development, teams have the freedom to choose the direction that best fits them. They can build something within their area of expertise, allowing them to demonstrate their professional skills and defend their project confidently; solve a real-world problem with a practical solution; or simply build a fun, creative, or experimental idea that they are passionate about.

For game development, teams have complete creative freedom to build any type of game they want, using whatever engine, framework, programming language, or technology they find most practical and suitable for their idea. Whether it is a 2D game, 3D game, mobile game, web game, PC game, multiplayer experience, or something completely experimental, teams are free to choose their own approach.

Teams will be judged on ideation, user interface & experince, implementation strategy, teamwork, creativity, and their ability to build under pressure.

The hackathon is completely free to enter and is open to teams of 2–5 members.

Your final submission should be more than a concept or presentation. It should be a working product or playable game that demonstrates what your team can build.

🏆 How Prizes Work

🏅 Place | 💰 Cash Prize | 🎁 Sponsor Prizes

🥇 1st Place Team | 25,000 ETB | Choose 5 Sponsor Prizes

🥈 2nd Place Team | 15,000 ETB | Choose 4 Sponsor Prizes

🥉 3rd Place Team | 10,000 ETB | Choose 3 Sponsor Prizes

ScholarXIV rewards are shared across the Top 3 teams instead of being selected individually.

🎁 Prize Pool Highlights

Sponsor | Prize

ScholarXIV | 10 GO + 5 Plus subscriptions ($250)

EthioDeploy | 3 Pro accounts (1 month) — 7,500 ETB

Voxide | 3 Pro credits for Top 3 teams ($90)

PhonoFilm | 5 yearly Premium accounts ($60)

links.et | 3 Developer Perks packages (3 months, incl. Odit) — 9,000 ETB

Batman Boilerplate | 3 boilerplates ($150)