August 1-3rd, 2025

What is Katy Youth Hacks?

Katy Youth Hacks is a 36-hour long hackathon for students from all around the world.

Our theme for this year is Social Good – we aim to empower participants to take an active role in creating solutions to benefit their communities while encouraging underrepresented groups to explore computer science and tech innovation.

By challenging students to solve real-world problems with technology, KatyYouthHacks aims to inspire the next generation of developers.

This Year's Prizes

1st Place:

  • JBL Headphones
  • Colorful Mechanical Keyboard

2nd Place:

  • Logitech Mechanical Mouse
  • Anker Portable Charger

3rd Place:

  • Gradient Venture Waterbottle
  • Blue Light Glasses

Best Design:

  • Fujifilm Quicksnap Camera

Best Beginner Hack:

  • 3-Pack Lightning Cable Charges

Honorable Mention:

  • Exclusive Sponsor Prizes

All Participants:

  • Sponsor Prizes

Last Year's Stats

429

+

Hackers Attended

$

70,000

+

In Prizes Awarded

86

+

Hacks Submitted

FAQ

What is a hackathon?

A hackathon is an fun, sprint-like design event where people collaborate intensively to develop software projects.

How much does it cost to participate?

This event is 100% free!

Who can participate?

ALL high school, middle school, and college students are eligible.

What if I can't code?

No problem! We will be hosting many workshops to help new hackers learn valuable skills and create their own original projects! Additionally, several of the prize categories are judged on ideation or design, rather than tech.

How many people can be in a team?

Up to four people are allowed on one team.

I have another question...

If you have a question, do not hesitate to email us at contact@katyhacks.org. Feel free to also contact us on our Discord.

Event Schedule

First Day, Friday

Time (CDT) Event
8:00 PM Opening Ceremony

Second Day, Saturday

Time (CDT) Event
1:00 PM No-Code App Building Workshop with Tanmay Kejriwal
4:00 PM Intro to Data Science with Saanvi Kondaskar

Third Day, Sunday

Time (CDT) Event
8:00 AM Submissions Due + Judging Commences

Fifth Day, Tuesday

Time (CST) Event
11:00 AM Closing Ceremony

*Schedule subject to change at any time without notice.

Judges

Tanmay Kejriwal

Software Engineer

Founder of MakeX

Naveen Nalajala

Senior Software Engineer

Dell Technologies

Haoyuan He

Software Engineer

Netflix

Jeet Mehta

Senior Software Engineer

Netflix

Naved Merchant

Senior Software Engineer

Amazon

Sahil Deshpande

Software Engineer

Meta

KYH Team

Interested in judging for Katy Youth Hacks?

Please reach out to us at contact@katyhacks.org!

Sponsors

Interested in sponsoring us?

Check out our sponsorship prospectus or shoot us an email at contact@katyhacks.org!

Or, support us on our donation page.

The Katy Youth Hacks Team

Aimee Wu

Aimee Wu

President

Saanvi Kondaskar

Vice President

Sreevaishnavi Sanagavaram

Secretary

Sithara Solayappan

Public Relations

Natalie Vuong

Public Relations

Eesha Kumar

Outreach Coordinator

Inika Jain

Outreach Coordinator

Want to help organize Katy Hacks? We're looking for help!

Reach out to us at contact@katyhacks.org for more information on how to join the team!