BACK TO HACKATHON 2025 »

BE SMART HACKATHON 2025
MORE INFORMATION

DATE

NOV 5-8, 2025

LOCATION

Sheraton/LeMeridien | Charlotte, NC

GAME-CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES

The 2025 BE Smart HBCU Hackathon features students from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to compete in what some call the new résumé. This group of top talent demonstrated how well they collaborate, how quickly they think, how they fail fast and learn faster, and articulate their ideas in public. Congratulations to our 2024 1st place team, Protégé from Spelman College!

WHO IS INVITED?


Airfare, hotels, and meals are provided for all hackers, plus, you’ll get a cool swag bag, #BEHack t-shirt, and valuable professional connections.


1. Student software engineers
who enjoy finding technical
solutions for real-world
problems


2. Students with a passion for all things development, such as
website application development,
backend and database
configuration, and
programming automation


3. Students who desire to develop skills for the modern engineer


4. Students who wish to
utilize these skills to
pursue a career in
software engineering

WHAT?

 

For a decade, the BE Smart Hackathon has been shaping the future of tech by empowering the next generation of Black innovators. This landmark 10th-anniversary event, sponsored by American Airlines, brings together top HBCU talent for an unforgettable weekend of competition, mentorship, and career-building opportunities.

HOW


Airfare, hotels, and meals are provided for all hackers, plus, you’ll get a cool swag bag, #BEHack t-shirt, and valuable professional connections.


Judging Criteria


Expo/Idea:

  • Impact: What potential benefits does the project offer to users or the community and does the project offer a novel solution to a problem?
  • Presentation: How well did the team articulate their idea and demonstrate their project?


Technical:

  • Technical Complexity: How many technologies (API, Clients, unique technologies) did the team’s project utilize?
  • Documentation: Did the team’s README provide organized and understandable documentation that helps developers use the code?
  • Execution Quality: Did the team’s demo work without any issues?
  • Bonus: Did the team incorporate enhancements like cloud hosting, CI/CD, databases unitized by APIs?


Panel:

  • Improve Customer Experience: Did the application consider the customer base, industry impact, or data to foster decision making?
  • Look and feel: Is the application user-friendly, consistent, and intuitive across interfaces?
  • Pitch: Did the team clearly articulate their idea, the potential impacts on the customer and execute their visual presentation well?

 

Getting Hired in Tech


To prepare for your interview in tech:

Build Your Technical Proficiency

• Acquire expertise in at least one programming language

• Understand data structures and algorithms and why they’re important

• Gain familiarity with typical skills needed for a hackathon

• Build end-to-end projects to show what you’ve learned

• Practice technical interview problems (i.e., LeetCode, Codewars)

Develop Your Soft Skills

• Listen and communicate effectively

• Work well with others (Teamwork)

• Think critically (analyze information and make informed decisions)

Showcase Your Skills

• Explore potential career roles and industries

• Build authentic connections through networking

Core Skills You’ll Need to Compete

To succeed at the BE Smart Hackathon, students should already be familiar with the following skills. These are essential for building a strong, functional project under a tight deadline

Problem-solving

(ability to break down complex problems)

A programming language

(i.e., Python, Java, JavaScript, etc.)

APIs

(Creating and consuming web services)

Web development

(i.e., HTML, CSS, Frontend frameworks/libraries)

Version control

(Git/GitHub)