EVENT DATES

September 10–October 10, 2026

Hack Away Hunger: Food Insecurity Challenge will begin with a kickoff event on September 10, followed by the in-person accelerator hackathon on September 24–26. Final project presentations and awards will take place on October 10, 2026.

Participation is open to individuals interested in using technology, creativity, and collaboration to help address challenges related to access to food. Participants who registered through join.hackawayhunger.org, signed the licensing agreement, and submitted their project for the final showcase via the link posted in Slack will be eligible for prize money. No exceptions.

TEAM REQUIREMENTS

• Teams must consist of 2–6 members.
• Participants may join with an existing team or register individually.
• If you register without a team, the dsmHack Board of Directors will work to connect you with other participants and help form a team that aligns with your skills and interests.
• Teams are encouraged to include a diverse range of skills, including developers, designers, project managers, data specialists, subject matter experts, and community advocates.

To be eligible for judging and prizes, teams must:

• Register at join.hackawayhunger.org.
• Attend at least one in-person event or obtain written permission from a dsmHack board member to participate virtually.
• Every member of your team needs to sign the standard licensing agreement.
• Join dsmHack's Slack channel and register your team for the final showcase by October 8th.
• Present your completed project to judges on October 10, 2026.

Projects must be developed as part of Hack Away Hunger: Food Insecurity Challenge.

Teams may use existing tools, platforms, APIs, and open-source resources, but submissions should demonstrate meaningful progress made during the event.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the teams whose projects demonstrate the greatest potential for meaningful impact during the final project showcase on October 10th.