HackOut! 2027 Official Rules

HackOut! 2027 ("the event") is organized and sponsored by BranchOut! Veritas Education Leaders ("BranchOut!"), a nonprofit organization, 1751 Pinnacle Drive #600, McLean, VA 22102, USA. By registering, participants agree to these Rules and to the HackOut! Terms and Conditions. The full documents are linked here: Official Rules and Terms and Conditions. These Rules summarize the Official Rules and are intended to match them exactly. If they ever differ, the Official Rules control.

Dates

All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−5).

  • Registration period: November 1, 2026, through December 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST
  • Submission period: January 1, 2027, at 12:00 AM EST through January 31, 2027, at 11:59 PM EST
  • Judging period: February 1, 2027, through February 28, 2027. BranchOut! may extend judging if needed and will announce any change on this page.
  • Winners announced: after judging concludes, on this page and by email to participants

Deadlines are strict. Submissions received after the deadline will not be judged.

Eligibility

To be eligible, a participant must:

  • Be between 13 and 18 years old at the time of registration
  • Be enrolled in high school, grades 9 through 12, at registration and through January 31, 2027. Homeschooled students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible. Students who graduate or leave high school before January 31, 2027, are not eligible.
  • Register on Devpost and complete the BranchOut! registration form by December 7, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST
  • If under 18, or a minor where they live, have a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver complete the consent section of the registration form

Students from any country may participate where the law allows. Residents of countries or regions subject to U.S. sanctions, and anyone participation would be unlawful for, are not eligible.

Organizers, judges, and their immediate family members may not compete for prizes. A participant whose eligibility or consent cannot be confirmed may be removed from the event.

Teams

  • Teams must have 2 to 4 members. Every member must meet the eligibility requirements and complete the registration form.
  • A student without a full team may ask to be matched with other students on the registration form. BranchOut! will try to place every student but cannot guarantee a match. Students who ask to be matched agree that their name, email address, and skills description may be shared with their new teammates.
  • A person may belong to only one team.
  • Team changes after January 1, 2027, require approval from the organizers.

Project and Submission Requirements

  • Projects must address a real-world problem in one of the five categories: Finance, Biomedical, Sustainability, Lifestyle, or Quantum.
  • All code, designs, and project materials must be created during the submission period. Teams may brainstorm, research, and plan beforehand. Projects that existed before the event are not eligible.
  • Projects must be the team's original work. Open-source libraries, frameworks, public APIs, and licensed assets may be used if their licenses allow it and they are credited in the submission.
  • AI tools, including coding assistants, may be used and must be disclosed. Every team member must understand the project and be able to explain it. Work the team cannot explain may receive a lower score or be disqualified.
  • Projects must not contain malware, illegal content, or hateful, harassing, or sexually explicit content. They must not infringe anyone's rights or collect personal information without consent.
  • Each team may submit one project, on Devpost, by the submission deadline.
  • A submission must include everything listed under Submission Requirements: title, written description, category, source code or project files, a demo video of up to 3 minutes, all team members, each member's registration email, and credits for third-party resources and AI tools. A working demo link is strongly encouraged.
  • Links must keep working through the end of judging.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Judges are selected by BranchOut!. Judging has two rounds. In the preliminary round, judges review all eligible submissions. Top projects advance as finalists, and each finalist team submits a recorded presentation of its project for the final round. Finalists will receive the presentation format and deadline by email. Projects are scored on four equally weighted criteria:

  • Impact: How meaningfully does the project address a real-world need?
  • Innovation and creativity: Does it introduce a new idea, approach, or perspective?
  • Technical execution: Does the technology work, and does the team use it effectively?
  • Presentation and clarity: How well is the idea presented and explained?

Organizers may adjust the criteria for a category and will notify participants if they do. Decisions of the judges and organizers are final.

Prizes

All prizes are cash in U.S. dollars, provided by BranchOut!. Total: $3,000.

  • Grand Prize: $1,000 for the best overall project
  • Category Winner, five prizes: $300 each for Finance, Biomedical, Sustainability, Lifestyle, and Quantum
  • Community Impact Award: $500 for the project with the strongest connection between technology and meaningful community impact

Every eligible project is considered for the Grand Prize, the Community Impact Award, and the prize for its chosen category. A project may win only one prize. If a project ranks first for more than one prize, it receives the higher-value prize, and the next-ranked eligible project receives the other.

Prizes are awarded to teams. Each team tells BranchOut! how to divide its prize among its members, and each member's share is paid directly to that member. Where local law does not allow payment to a minor, the share is paid to the member's parent, legal guardian, or caregiver. Winners must confirm eligibility and provide payment details within 14 days of notification, or the prize may be forfeited. Winners are responsible for any taxes owed where they live. BranchOut! may decline to award a prize if no eligible submission meets the judging standard. Sponsor prizes may be added before the submission period begins.

Conduct

Participants must treat everyone with respect. Harassment, bullying, discrimination, threats, and inappropriate language or content are not allowed in any event channel, call, or submission, including Discord and Zoom. Participants must follow reasonable instructions from organizers and must not share other people's private information. Report concerns to [email protected].

Fair Play and Disqualification

Cheating, plagiarism, submitting work that is not the team's own, interfering with another team's work, or breaking these Rules may lead to a warning, disqualification, or removal from the event. Organizers decide what action to take.

Ownership, Privacy, and Media

Teams keep ownership of their projects. By submitting, teams grant BranchOut! a non-exclusive license to display project titles, descriptions, screenshots, demo videos, and team member names for judging and promotion. Participants under 18 are named by first name only unless a parent or guardian approves more. Personal information is handled as described in the Terms and Conditions.

Changes and Governing Law

BranchOut! may update these Rules, the schedule, or the categories, and will notify registered participants on this page and by email. The event may be postponed, changed, or canceled if circumstances outside BranchOut!'s control require it. These Rules are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States.

Contact

Questions about these Rules: [email protected]