PalmettoHacks2026
Build something cool, enjoy free food, and win prizes. No tech-experience needed.
- Free to attend
- All majors welcome
- Meals provided
- Official MLH event
Where Ideas Become Reality
PalmettoHacks is a 24-hour hackathon hosted by Kappa Theta Pi at the University of South Carolina. You'll form a team, pick an idea, and build it into something you can demo — all in one weekend, with mentors, workshops, and food along the way.
Free to attend
No ticket, no entry fee. Bring a laptop and show up.
Every meal covered
Lunch, dinner, a midnight snack, and breakfast are on us.
Built for beginners
Any major, any year, any skill level. First hackathon welcome.
Teams of up to 4
Come with friends or come alone — we run team formation on site.
Mentors in the room
KTP members and industry mentors on hand for all 24 hours.
Prizes on the line
Awards for the top teams, judged by a panel of industry judges.
24 Hours of Innovation
Doors open Saturday morning and the event wraps Sunday midday. You're welcome to head home to sleep and come back — plenty of people do.
Saturday
October 10- 9:00 AMCheck-In & Opening Ceremony
Grab your badge and swag bag, then hear welcome remarks from KTP leadership.
- 10:00 AMBuilding Begins
Form your teams and start building. The 24-hour clock starts now.
- 12:00 PMCVS Health Workshop
A hands-on session on cloud engineering, led by CVS Health.
- 1:00 PMLunch
Refuel and network with mentors and fellow hackers.
- 7:00 PMDinner
Take a break, eat, and regroup with your team.
Sunday
October 11- 12:00 AMMidnight Snack
Late-night fuel and games to keep the energy up.
- 8:00 AMBreakfast
Coffee and breakfast before the final push.
- 10:00 AMSubmissions Due
Submit your project on Devpost before the deadline.
- 10:00 AMJudging Begins
Demo your project to our panel of industry judges.
- 11:00 AMClosing Ceremony & Awards
Winners announced, prizes awarded, and the event wraps.
Schedule is tentative and subject to change. Registered participants get the final version by email.
Powered by Our Sponsors
PalmettoHacks is free because these teams pay for it. They'll be on site with mentors, challenges, and people who are hiring.
Interested in sponsoring?
Put your team in front of hundreds of student engineers at USC.
Kappa Theta Pi
PD Team · University of South Carolina
PalmettoHacks is organized by the Professional Development Team @ Kappa Theta Pi. We're students at USC who wanted a hackathon here, so we built one — and we answer every email that comes through the addresses below.
A professional technology fraternity
Kappa Theta Pi is a co-ed organization built around technology, with chapters at universities across the country.
Professional Development Team
Our Professional Development (PD) Team ensures our members excel in the workforce through workshops, events like this, and industry connections!
Students running it end to end
PalmettoHacks is planned and staffed by chapter members. The people checking you in are the people who built the event.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know about PalmettoHacks. If you have a question that isn't answered here, feel free to reach out!