Two editions. One intimate summer sprint. One full-scale fall flagship. Philadelphia's premier student hackathon returns twice this year.
Two editions • 2026
Two seasons, one dragon
DragonHacks XII Summer
A curated, high-signal 24-hour build sprint. Small enough that every team gets face time with mentors, judges, and sponsors. Tight community, real feedback, zero noise.
DragonHacks XII Fall
The full-scale DragonHacks experience. 500 builders, major sponsor partners, multiple tracks, workshops, speaker panels, and the largest prize pool in the event's history.
FAQ
DragonHacks is Drexel University's 24-hour hackathon run by Drexel IEEE. Students from across the region build, collaborate, and demo in one intense day. In 2026 we run two editions — Summer (intimate sprint) and Fall (full flagship).
Summer (Jul 11) is small and curated — 100 hackers, intimate vibe, high mentor-to-hacker ratio. Fall is the flagship — 500 hackers, multiple tracks, bigger sponsors, larger prizes. Both are 24 hours and completely free.
All college/university students 18+, from any school and any major. No prior hackathon experience needed — beginners are very welcome at both editions.
Teams of up to 4 members. Register solo or with a team — we run team formation at check-in and many great teams form on-site.
Yes — completely free. Meals, snacks, swag, and hardware resources are all provided thanks to our sponsors.
Papadakis Integrated Science Building (PISB), Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. Full details sent to accepted applicants.