• Team Participation
  Participants may work alone or in teams. Recommended team size is 1–4 people.
• Project Focus
  Projects must relate to assistive technology, accessibility, disability support, health, independence, or inclusive design.
• Original Work
  Projects should be created during the hackathon period. Participants may use open-source libraries, APIs, frameworks, and existing tools, but the submitted project itself should be original work by the participant or team.
• Respectful Design
  Projects should be designed with respect for people with disabilities. Submissions should avoid stereotypes, harmful assumptions, or language that misrepresents disability communities.
• Software Focus
  This challenge is mainly focused on software projects. Hardware-related ideas are allowed if they include a clear software component.
• Submission Deadline
  All projects must be submitted by [insert deadline] through Devpost.
• Code and Demo Required
  Submissions must include a working prototype, demo video, and code repository.

Awarded to the strongest project overall, based on impact, execution, usability, and relevance to the hackathon mission.

Awarded to the project with the clearest potential to improve independence, accessibility, or quality of life for people with disabilities.

Awarded to an impressive project created by a beginner participant or team.

Awarded to the project with strong technical implementation, creative engineering, or effective use of software tools.

Awarded to the project that best demonstrates thoughtful, user-centered, and accessible design.

Optional prize text:

Prizes will be awarded based on project quality, impact, creativity, and alignment with the mission of the Assistive Innovation Challenge. More prize details may be announced during the hackathon.

Projects will be judged based on the following criteria:

How clearly does the project address a real accessibility, disability, health, or independence-related need?

Does the project consider the needs of disabled users in a respectful, thoughtful, and practical way?

Does the prototype work? Is the core idea demonstrated clearly?

Is the solution original, thoughtful, or innovative?

How effectively does the project use software, tools, APIs, or technical design to solve the problem?

Is the submission clear, organized, and easy to understand? Does the demo explain the project well?