NeurAlbertaTech (NAT) is thrilled to present natHACKS, Canada's largest brain-computer interface hackathon! natHACKS will inspire beginners to develop practical neurotech skills and challenge competent hackers to apply themselves in this growing and exciting field.

Spanning two weeks and culminating in a 64-hour hackathon weekend, natHACKS will combine workshops, challenges, and networking opportunities for anyone interested in neurotechnology. With three different project tracks on different cutting-edge brain-computer interface topics, and separate judging criteria based on experience level, we’re excited to offer neurotech enthusiasts this unique opportunity for the second year running.

To learn more about the event, feel free to visit our event webpage as well!

To participate in natHACKS:

After signing up on Devpost, register for the event as an individual with the official natHACKS registration form. Submit by July 8 at 23:59 MDT if you're interested in brain-computer interface hardware or a hacker survival kit (see below for details). The final registration deadline is July 15 at 23:59 MDT.
Form a team, if desired. Teams should be declared using the Team Declaration form, and can be indicated on Devpost when one team member opens a project submission. You can meet potential teammates on Devpost, Discord, or through official pre-natHACKS networking sessions [Info Night on July 14th at 18:00 MDT AND Pitch Night on July 15th at 17:00 MDT]
- TEAM RULES:
  - Each team must consist of at least 50% Alberta residents to be eligible for prizes.
  - Teams cannot include more than 5 participants.
  - Teams must include at least 2 participants.
Start hacking on July 29 at 19:00 MDT!
Submit your project on Devpost by August 1 at 10:00 MDT.

Please see the Rules page for information on participant eligibility.

Tracks

All teams will have the chance to participate in a Track of their choice, with three Senior Tracks on cutting-edge BCI topics and a Junior Track for neurotech newcomers. Project ideas for each Track will be provided closer to the event.

BCI Recreation	Entertainment and leisure BCI applications.
BCI Rehabilitation	Using BCIs to assess, diagnose, and/or treat neurological disorders.
BCI Research	Developing new methods to collect, analyze, and/or visualize brain data.
Junior	A track tailor-made for those at the beginning of their neurotech journey! Restricted to participants who both have not yet entered their third year of post-secondary education and who are not majoring in a field related to computing science.

Deadlines

All listed times are in Mountain Daylight Time (UTC - 6).

Individual Registration

July 8 (23:59) - Early Bird

July 15 (23:59) - Final

In addition to signing up on Devpost, all participants must register for the event using NAT's internal sign-up form.
Participants who register by July 8 may also receive a Hacker Survival Kit, which includes bonus swag!
See the natHACKS rules for details on eligibility.

Hardware Application

July 8 (23:59)

Participants who register by July 8 can apply to receive brain-computer interface hardware to use during the event!
Hardware will be shipped to eligible participants after paying a deposit to NeurAlbertaTech (deposit waivers are in place for those in financial need).
Hardware use is not mandatory to succeed at the event. See the Resources section for details on eligibility.

Team Formation and Track Finalization

July 29 (17:00)

Meet potential teammates on Devpost, Discord, or through official natHACKS Networking Sessions!
Teams must have at least one Albertan resident and no more than 5 total members to be eligible for prizes.
All team members and track choices must be finalized before the hackathon begins.

Event Schedule

All listed times are in Mountain Daylight Time (UTC - 6). For a full schedule of events, see the event page on the NAT website.

Pre-Event Networking		Participants can meet fellow neurotech enthusiasts on Discord and Devpost
Info Night	July 14	A hybrid event to give newcomers a complete introduction to natHACKS and the many opportunities it offers! We will give a full synopsis of the entire multi-day event, the project criteria, and where prospective attendees can get started. There will be pizza for all those joining in-person, as well as live-streaming for joining us remotely. Don’t miss your chance to have all of your natHACKS questions answered! The Info Night will also feature hacker-to-hacker networking for those looking for additional team members!
Pitch Night	July 15	Meet our amazing Problem Providers (clinicians, academics, and industry professionals bringing real-world neurotech problems) and join a team focused on solving their problem. The Pitch Night will also feature hacker-to-hacker networking for those looking for additional team members!
Educational Sprint	July 18 - July 28	NAT will provide 25+ hours of in-depth workshop content for free leading up to the event, ensuring all participants are up to speed on working with BCIs. Workshops will cover the basics of Python programming, analyzing signals from commercial EEG headsets, putting together a business pitch for your projects, and more!
Opening Day	July 29	Opening Ceremony (18:00 - 19:00): remind yourself about how natHACKS works, listen to an exclusive keynote talk, and get excited for some hacking! [RSVP Required for both in-person and virtual]
Hackathon	July 29 - August 1	64 hours of hacking, beginning on July 29 at 19:00 and ending on August 1 at 10:00. Need a break? NAT is excited to provide trivia, movie nights, and more fun events throughout the hackathon! In-person hackathon content will also be available for hackers in Alberta!
Closing Day	August 1	Project Evaluation (10:00 - 16:00): our judges will award prizes to the 1st and 2nd place teams in each of our 3 Senior Tracks and an additional prize for the winning team of the Junior Track. Closing Ceremony (16:00 - 17:00): learn who came out on top and hear from another excellent speaker to close out the event! [RSVP Required for both in-person and virtual]

Requirements

All competitive submissions must include:

A project code repository with code solely developed during the hackathon.
A video presentation explaining the project, which should not exceed 5 minutes.
A brief written project summary, which should not exceed 250 words.
A live presentation to Judges (in-person at the UofA, virtual for all other participants)

More details on submissions, and detailed project rubrics, will be provided to participants closer to the event.

Note that prizes can only be offered to teams consiting of at least 50% Alberta resident.

Prizes

$CAD20,000 in prizes

1st Place - Senior Tracks (3)

1st place winners from the BCI Recreation, Rehabilitation, and Research Tracks will be eligible for $2000 CAD in seed funding, going towards the future development of their hackathon projects. An additional $2000 CAD of in-kind services are available (legal services, cloud compute resources, business mentorship) as needed.

2nd Place - Senior Tracks (3)

2nd place winners from the BCI Recreation, Rehabilitation, and Research Tracks will be eligible for $1000 CAD in seed funding, going towards the future development of their hackathon projects. An additional $1000 CAD of in-kind services are available (legal services, cloud compute resources, business mentorship) as needed.

1st Place - Junior Track

1st place winners from the Junior Track will be eligible for $1000 CAD in seed funding, going towards the future development of their hackathon projects. An additional $1000 CAD of in-kind services are available (legal services, cloud compute resources, business mentorship) as needed.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Eden Redman
Executive Director - NeurAlbertaTech

Online	Public
$CAD20,000 in prizes	465 participants

natHACKS 2022

Canada's largest brain-computer interface hackathon

Who can participate