Computer science and engineering students are gathering at California State University, East Bay’s CORE Building this weekend for the second annual HackHayward, a collegiate hackathon where teams compete to develop innovative AI-powered programs within a limited timeframe.

HackHayward 2026 began Saturday morning and will continue overnight, concluding at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The event invites students from all colleges and universities, as well as high school students aged 18 or older, to compete. More than 200 students are participating.

HackHayward 2026 stands out from other hackathons for its focus on entrepreneurship and career guidance, offering students opportunities to network with business ambassadors, attend technical workshops, and develop pitch decks for their projects. Major tech companies, including Google, Perplexity, and IBM, also sponsor the event, providing students with project resources.

“Entrepreneurship is something hackathons usually do not have, but we added it because in the current market, you have to make your own opportunities,” said HackHayward President Nidhi Prajapati. 

“We provide [students] the environment to play with the tech, get the ideas, build something real, and expand their ideas. That’s also how they’re keeping up with AI,” she added. 

After the submission deadline, teams will then present their projects to a judging panel of tech and business representatives, who will evaluate them based on functionality, user accessibility, AI integration, entrepreneurial strength, and the overall value of the project’s solution. 

As the tech job market becomes increasingly competitive, events like HackHayward 2026 give students crucial opportunities to sharpen their coding skills, develop essential entrepreneurial abilities, make meaningful connections, and build confidence in themselves.