This post provides the judging criteria for the 2026 Social Justice Hackathon. See also the challenge tracks and code of conduct.
Projects are scored on a 1–5 scale across six categories:
| Category | 5 – Excellent | 4 – Very Good | 3 – Good | 2 – Limited | 1 – Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innovation & Creativity | Highly original; novel use of technology | Creative with unique elements | Some originality; common approach | Minimal originality; derivative | No clear innovation |
| Impact & Community Relevance | Deep understanding of community needs, significant impact potential | Addresses the problem(s) and impacts the community’s needs in a meaningful way | Addresses the problem in an incomplete way; impact is limited or unclear | Weak relevance to community need, unclear impact | No clear problem, does not reflect the community’s needs |
| Design & User Experience | Polished, intuitive, and accessible | Clear and usable design | Functional but unpolished | Confusing experience | Not usable |
| Feasibility & Scalability | Highly feasible and scalable | Feasible with minor limits | Feasible with challenges | Difficult to scale | Unrealistic |
| Technical Execution & Interdisciplinary Development | Fully functional; strong implementation | Mostly functional; minor issues | Partially functional; basic build | Major technical issues | Non-functional, has major bugs |
| Equity & Ethical Consideration | Demonstrates strong ethical awareness; implements concrete safeguards | Clearly identifies any major risks; proposes a realistic safeguard | Identified specific risks; limited or unclear mitigation steps | Basic ethical risks briefly recognized; discussion is incomplete | No clear consideration; sensitive harms, biases, or misuses are unaddressed |