Best in Show
Each winner was awarded a Best in Show ($349 value)
Overview
We're challenging you to design and prototype a working hardware project — anything from a connected device to a full embedded system — using real dev boards from Nordic Semiconductor!
Whether you're chasing a smart-home concept, an IoT sensor network, a wearable, or something nobody's thought of yet, this is your chance to turn that idea into something that actually powers on.
No theme restrictions, no box to check! You'll have around 24 hours (8–12 hours of real build time), so this is about creating a working prototype or MVP, not a finished product. Show us what you can figure out, not what's perfect.
You'll be building with one of three Nordic boards, and we'll help you pick the one that fits your idea (see "Which board should I pick?" below under resources). No soldering required or supported on-site — everything's designed to work straight out of the box using each board's onboard components and headers.
Take home the nRF54LM20 DK? Keep building. Nordic's Sustain the System competition opens September 15 (just days before HackMIT!) and challenges you to build a predictive monitoring solution using the same board and Bluetooth® technology to help equipment, infrastructure, or natural resources last longer. If your HackMIT project uses the nRF54LM20 DK, you're already halfway to an entry!
Prizes
We are giving away thousands of dollars in prizes to the top 3 projects! Our judges will pick the best qualifying 3 projects based on the judging criteria outlined in the rules section.
Best in Show
AMD Kria KR260 Robotics Starter Kit
Resources
- A laptop — Mac, Windows, or Linux all work
- nRF Connect for Desktop installed before you arrive — don't wait to do this on hackathon Wi-Fi!
- The nRF Connect extension for VS Code, if that's your editor
- Any wires, sensors, or connectors your project needs. Sadly, we're not supplying extras on-site, so bring what you need or plan to build using the board on its own.
- The three Nordic boards.
Note: No soldering tools, wires, or connectors will be provided, and there's no soldering support at this event. Everything you build needs to run using the board's onboard components and headers, or with whatever you bring yourself.
What is a Hackathon?A Hackathon is a weekend-long build sprint! You show up with a team (or find one on-site), pick up hardware, and race the clock to turn an idea into a working prototype. No prior experience needed; just curiosity and a willingness to figure things out as you go!
Which board should I pick?All three are self-contained dev kits — plug into USB and start flashing, no soldering required or supported on-site. Pick based on how your project needs to talk to the world.
nRF7002 DK — pick this for Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi 6 companion IC on an nRF5340 host, giving you a dual-core Cortex-M33 to run your application on. The network core also handles Bluetooth LE and Thread, so this is the one to grab for anything Matter-based.
Good for: smart-home devices, cloud dashboards, sensor hubs, anything that needs real throughput.
nRF9151 DK — pick this for cellular and location. LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS and DECT NR+ on one board, with a SIM card in the box preloaded with free data — so your project works anywhere with cell coverage, no Wi-Fi needed.
Good for: asset and vehicle tracking, wearables that leave the building, remote environmental monitoring, anything that has to work outdoors.
nRF54LM20 DK — pick this for Bluetooth and on-device AI. Built on the nRF54LM20A/B wireless SoCs with an integrated Axon NPU for running machine learning models directly on the device. Supports Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth Channel Sounding, Matter, Thread, Zigbee and Aliro.
Good for: gesture and audio recognition, predictive monitoring, ultra-low-power wearables, anything where inference should happen on the board instead of in the cloud. This is also the board featured in Nordic's Sustain the System competition.
Not sure yet? Check out existing projects on Hackster built with the https://www.hackster.io/products/nrf7002-dk or https://www.hackster.io/products/nrf9151-dk for inspiration — the nRF54LM20 DK is newer, so there's less out there yet, but that also means more room to be first.
Using the Hackster site:
- How do I add/create a new project?
- How do I publish a project?
- How do I add a project to a contest?
- How do I submit a project to a contest for judging?
- Project Guide: HackMIT26 x Hackster - Create What's Next
For more information about the nRF7002 DK:
https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nRF7002-DK
Product Specification / board documentation for the nRF7002 DK
Getting Started with the nRF7002 DK
Developing with the nRF70 Series (Wi-Fi)
Wi-Fi Fundamentals course — Nordic Developer Academy
For more information about the nRF9151 DK:
https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nRF9151-DK
Product Specification (datasheet) for the nRF9151
Get Started with the nRF9151 DK
Developing with the nRF91 Series (Cellular IoT)
Cellular IoT Fundamentals course — Nordic Developer Academy
For more information about the nRF54LM20 DK:
https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nRF54LM20-DK
Datasheet for the nRF54LM20A / nRF54LM20B
Integrated AI Axon Accelerator
Developing with the nRF54L Series
nRF Connect SDK Fundamentals course — Nordic Developer Academy
Bluetooth Low Energy Fundamentals course — Nordic Developer Academy
Common development tools (all three boards):- nRF Connect for VS Code
- Quick Start App
- nRF Connect for Desktop
- If you have a technical question, feel free to ask it in Nordic DevZone
- Scan the QR code at our booth and create a free Hackster account. (Registering automatically enrolls you as a Hackster member and follows the Nordic Semiconductor and AMD communities.)
- Tell us what you want to build and pick your board — nRF7002 DK, nRF9151 DK, or nRF54LM20 DK.
- Grab your board from the Hackster team on-site and get building.
- Publish your project on Hackster.io before the deadline, with your hardware listed and your process documented.
Contest Status
Timeline
Competition begins
September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM PDT
Applications for hardware close
September 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT
Hardware recipients announced
September 21, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT
Submissions close
September 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT
Winners announced by
Oct 2, 2026