Hacktoberfest Hack Day Madison x MadCloud
About
Join MadCloud and Major League Hacking for a beginner-friendly Hacktoberfest Hack Day focused on open-source AI and cloud computing.
Students will work in teams to explore an open-source AI project, make a meaningful contribution, and learn how modern AI applications are packaged and deployed. We will have a guided beginner track covering Git, GitHub, pull requests, and Docker, along with an advanced track covering cloud deployment, CI/CD, and monitoring.
You do not need previous experience or an existing team. Students from every major are welcome, and mentors will be available throughout the event to help you get started.
The event is free and open to all UW–Madison students.
Prize Categories
2 categories- View Best Open-Source AI Project
Best Open-Source AI Project
Exclusive Hacktoberfest 2026 Winner DEV Badge & MLH Swag Bag
Build an original project that uses open-source or open-weight AI as an important part of how it works. Teams could create an agent skill, build with an open-weight large or small language model, or build or adapt an open-source model harness.
Build with DigitalOceanView category - View Best Use of Gemma 4
Best Use of Gemma 4
It’s time to see how much you can build with a lightweight, open model. Gemma 4 packs multimodal intelligence into an open-weights model that you can access through the Gemini API. So, what can Gemma 4 bring to your project?
- Multimodal Experience: Work with text and images to create an assistant that understands more of what users share.
- Focused AI Tools: Build a focused AI tool for learning, creativity, productivity, or your community.
- Rapid Prototyping: Experiment with an open model while using the Gemini API to move quickly from an idea to a working prototype.
Bring your idea to life… what will you build with Gemma 4 today?
Build with Gemma 4View category
