Questions, answered.

A free, two-day hackathon where high school students team up to build AI tools for human health. You pick a part of the body, find a real problem, and build something that helps. No experience needed.

An event where you team up with other students to build a project from scratch in a short time. There are workshops, mentors to help you, free food, and a demo at the end where you show what you made.

Summer 2027 in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’re planning for July and will share the exact dates and venue once they’re confirmed.

Any high school student during the 2026–27 school year, grades 9 to 12. Seniors who graduate that spring are still welcome.

Nothing. VivaHacks is free, including meals, snacks and swag.

No. Both days are daytime only. Doors close in the evening, you go home, and you come back the next morning.

A team of high school students in the Bay Area.

No. Lots of students build their first project at VivaHacks. We run beginner workshops, mentors help all weekend, and there’s a prize just for first-time teams.

No. You just need to care about a problem. Our mentors include doctors, nurses and researchers who can fill in the science.

Teams have one to four people. Come with a team or find one with us. We run team matching on Discord before the event and at check-in.

Applications open in spring 2027. Sign up to get notified and we’ll email you the moment they open.

Anything that uses AI to help human health: an app, a website, a chatbot, a game, a device or a data project. Pick one of the six tracks, or use the open track.

Yes. VivaHacks is built for it. Every team gets the same AI toolkit and credits. Tell us how you used AI: judges look at how well you used it, not just whether you did.

You can brainstorm and learn tools ahead of time, but all code and designs must be made during the event.

No. Projects use public or synthetic (realistic but made-up) data only. Never upload anyone’s private health information, including your own family’s.

It has to be honest about what it can and can’t do. Health tools that sound sure when they aren’t can hurt people, so judges reward teams that build in safeguards.

A laptop and charger, a school ID, your signed forms, a water bottle and anything you need to be comfortable. Don’t have a laptop? Tell us when you apply and we’ll try to lend you one.

Yes: meals and snacks both days, with options for any dietary needs you tell us about when you sign up.

At a science-fair-style expo, judges visit each team for a short demo. The top teams then present on stage. Judges score impact, execution, use of AI, design and responsibility.

Grab a mentor or an organizer. Mentors are around all weekend, and an adult staff member is always at the help desk.

Bring your own if you have it. We’re working with partners on sensors and boards you can borrow during the event, and will share the list before you arrive.

We’re choosing a venue near Caltrain or VTA. Once it’s confirmed, directions and parking go here.

If getting there is hard, tell us when you apply. We plan to offer transit help for students coming from farther away.

Send them our page for parents and teachers. It covers supervision, forms, food and how to reach us.

Yes. Background-checked adults are on site at all times, students sign in and out, and our code of conduct applies to everyone.

After a student is accepted, a parent or guardian signs a consent form, a liability waiver, a photo release, emergency and medical contacts, and a permission form for using AI tools.

Yes, if you’re in college or an adult. High schoolers can become school ambassadors. Sign-up opens soon.

Sponsor the event, send mentors or judges, or bring a real problem for a track. The sponsors page has the details.