Ready to see how fast you can build when you have the world’s best AI code editor at your fingertips? Join us for the Cursor Hackathon, an open-ended, high-intensity sprint where your ideas become reality in hours, not weeks.

Whether you're a seasoned engineer or just starting your coding journey, this is your chance to experiment with AI-powered development, collaborate with a team, and compete for a massive pool of Cursor credits and custom gear.

What makes this special?

  • Level the Playing Field: Every participant gets free Cursor credits to power their build.
  • Full Creative Freedom: No restrictive prompts. Build a web app, a CLI tool, a game, or a productivity hack—if you can code it, you can win.
  • Fuel Provided: We’re keeping the momentum going with lunch from Glass Nickel Pizza.

Requirements

What to build?

The canvas is blank, and the clock is ticking. You have total creative freedom—no restrictive themes, no mandatory APIs, and no "corporate challenges."

We want to see what happens when you combine your wildest ideas with the speed of Cursor. Whether it’s a niche utility tool, a chaotic experimental game, or a high-polish SaaS MVP, the goal is simple: Build something that shouldn't have been possible to finish in four hours.

Submission Requirements

To be eligible for prizes, your team must submit the following before the 3:15 PM deadline:

  1. The Build: A working application or tool built (or significantly advanced) during the hackathon window.

  2. Cursor Integration: Your project must be developed using the Cursor code editor.

  3. GitHub Repo: A link to your public repository.

  4. Demo: Be prepared to give a short 1-2 minute video demo and prepare a slide show if chosen to present in front of the judges.

    REMINDER: ONLY THE TOP 7 MOST VOTED PROJECTS WILL PROCEED TO FINAL JUDGING.

    DO NOT VOTE FOR YOUR OWN TEAM. WE WILL BE GOING THROUGH EACH VOTE TO VERIFY.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

3 non-cash prizes
1st Overall
1 winner

$500 dollars of cursor credit + Cursor T-shirt + Cursor Hat.

2nd Overall
1 winner

$250 dollars of cursor credit + Cursor Hat.

3rd Overall
1 winner

$125 dollars of cursor credit.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Kody Fisher

Kody Fisher
Cursor

Blerina Gkotse

Blerina Gkotse
Professor

Judging Criteria

  • Visuals & UX Design (20 points)
    ___ / 10 — Does the interface support usability and user engagement? ___ / 10 — Do the visuals demonstrate creativity, polish, or strong aesthetic quality?
  • Functionality & Technical Depth (20 points)
    ___ / 10 — Does the project address a clear problem and does it provide value? ___ / 10 — Do the features have technical depth?
  • Cursor / AI Integration (20 points)
    ___ / 10 — Is Cursor or AI meaningfully incorporated into the project? Are the prompts and agents used clearly documented by the team? ___ / 10 — Can the team clearly explain how AI is used and its role within the system?
  • Execution & Innovation (20 points)
    ___ / 10 — Is the idea original or does it demonstrate a unique approach? ___ / 10 — Is the final product ready to hit the market?
  • Presentation and Teamwork (20 points)
    ___ / 10 — Is the problem clearly pitched in a convincing way? ___ / 10 — Did everyone in the team contribute equal technical depth to the presentation and github repo?
  • Bonus (up to +5 points)
    Score: _______ / +5 Awarded for exceptional usage of prompt engineering on Cursor.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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