We run two a year. Beta in the fall is for beginners, and HackED in the winter is for everyone.
For first- and second-time hackers
Alberta's friendliest beginner hackathon. It's built for your first (or second) hackathon, so there are mentors and workshops around to help when you get stuck.
For any student, any skill level
One of Alberta's biggest student-run hackathons, open to any student at any skill level. The judges come from industry, so bring your A-game (or your B-game, we're not picky).
You and up to four friends get 24 hours to build something (an app, a game, a little robot, a website that does one very weird thing). Then you show it off to the judges and maybe win something. Mentors who've done this before hang around the whole time, and so do the snacks.
Both events are run by the Computer Engineering Club at the U of A. Never written a line of code? Honestly, that's who Beta is for.
tail -f beta-schedule.log HackED Beta · Nov 13–15, 2026
all times are Edmonton time (MT)_
Both events are in person on the U of A campus. No remote option this year, so come say hi!
HackED Beta
89 Avenue NW, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2N8
The old Dentistry/Pharmacy building, next to Rutherford Library and right by University LRT station.
directions →HackED
9211 116 St NW, 8th Floor, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1
The engineering building on 116 Street, head up to the 8th floor.
directions →Pick an event and the answers switch to match. Still stuck? Email us, a real human answers.
You and up to four teammates get 24 hours to build something: an app, a game, a hardware gadget, whatever you want. Mentors and workshops are there to help. You can plan and research ahead of time, but no code until hacking starts. At the end, teams show their projects to the judges and prizes get handed out.
HackED Beta: Nope! Beta is made for beginners (you can have done one hackathon before, max). There are mentors around the whole time, and plenty of people show up having never built anything.
HackED: Nope. Every skill level is welcome at HackED, and there are mentors around the whole time. It's a great place to try something you've never touched before.
The Computer Engineering Club at the University of Alberta. We're all students, so be nice to us at 3am.
No, you can opt out before judging starts. We'd really recommend it though, even if your project only half works (most of them do).
HackED Beta: HackED Beta is at University Commons (UComms), 89 Avenue NW, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2N8 (the old Dentistry/Pharmacy building, next to Rutherford Library and right by University LRT station).
HackED: HackED is at Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering (DICE), 9211 116 St NW, 8th Floor, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1 (the engineering building on 116 Street, head up to the 8th floor).
Not this time. Both events are in person only, so come hang out with us on campus (it's way more fun anyway).
Not at all. Any student from any faculty or school can come.
Your laptop and charger, plus any hardware your project needs. It's basically a sleepover, so a pillow, a blanket, a toothbrush and some deodorant (please) help a lot. No drugs or alcohol. If you're not sure about something, message us first.
HackED Beta: There'll be snacks. You're also welcome to bring your own food, and there's storage at the venue to keep it in.
HackED: Yes! Snacks and drinks all weekend (coffee included, obviously), dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Let us know about any dietary restrictions and we'll sort you out.
HackED Beta: Yes. There are prizes for the winning hacks, trivia prizes, and sometimes some from sponsors. Heads up: prizes for winning hacks are sized for teams of 4.
HackED: Yes. Everyone gets a swag box from us and our sponsors (think t-shirts, snacks and stickers), there are games and trivia with mini prizes, and then there are the main prizes for the winners.
It's good, but download your tools before you come anyway. A whole room installing the same SDK at once gets slow.
HackED Beta: Any high school or university student who's 18+ and has done one hackathon at most. If you've done more but still feel like a beginner (little or no coding experience), email us and we'll talk.
HackED: Any student from any school, grad students, and new grads up to a year after graduating. You need to be 18 or older.
HackED Beta: $5 CAD. That's it.
HackED: Nothing, HackED is free.
HackED Beta: Hit the register button on this page. It goes to our sign-up form.
HackED: Sign-ups aren't open yet. When they are, the link goes up on this page. Follow @compeclub on Instagram to hear first.
Up to 5 people. Going solo is totally fine too.
Super common, don't worry. People find teams on our Discord before the event, and there's time for it right after the opening ceremony. Just say hi to people. Teams that want one more member are looking at the same time.
Also super common. Try thinking about something that annoys you every day and build the fix. Or show up and steal inspiration from the workshops.
Make a Discord account. If you can, find a team and a rough idea beforehand. If you can't, that's what the opening ceremony is for.
The judges come from industry. We'll post the criteria closer to the event.
Yes please! Email hacked@compeclub.com and we'll find you a spot.
Email hacked@compeclub.com and tell us what you're thinking. Past sponsors have run workshops, set up booths, given prizes and filled the swag boxes, and we're happy to work out something that fits.
Email hacked@compeclub.com. A real person on the team will get back to you.
Student hackathons run on sponsor money (and a scary amount of coffee). These companies have backed past HackED and HackED Beta events. Thank you!!
~/hacked $ ./get-involved --help