2026 Hackathon Event Summary
The 2026 Bergen Tech Hackathon was our best year yet! We want to thank you — our sponsors, donors, speakers, judges, mentors, teachers and families — for making it possible. Not one piece of this event happens without you.
This year the event grew again, with 130 high school students from both the Teterboro and Paramus campuses registering to compete. Students formed 39 teams for a 12-hour "Build" themed sprint — going from a blank screen to a working demo in a single day. From idea generation, to building, to final presentations in front of industry judges, the creativity and ambition on display was genuinely extraordinary.
We awarded $4,500 in prizes across 13 categories, recognizing everything from best use of AI and most technically ambitious build to social impact, design, and rookie team of the year.
A few example projects
- ● A mobile app that helps the visually impaired navigate the real world
- ● An AI recipe builder to improve nutrition and variety in refugee camps
- ● A mapping system that finds safe walking routes through a neighborhood
- ● A DMV RPG that turns passing your driver's test into a game
- ● A study app that grades you on whether you can teach the material to an AI
- ● A financial budgeting app for teens, making it easy to save toward real goals
- ● A water-usage estimator for your interactions with AI chatbots
- ● An app to help you actually learn CSS, not just copy it
- ● A virtual drum kit you can play from your keyboard
- ● and much more!
By the Numbers
130
Students
39
Teams
13
Prize Categories
$4,500
In Prizes
15+
Sponsors & Donors
~30
Volunteers
4
Industry Speakers & Judges
12
Hours