Hacktoberfest Hack Day Manchester x Open Source Society UoM

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 a project that transforms how we create, interact with, visualize, or experience music and sound. Teams could generate real-time AI compositions based on live biometric data, build interactive spatial audio environments, craft generative instruments powered by novel hardware, or turn terminal logs into synthwave jams.

Audio-Centric Focus: Sound, voice, synthesis, or music generation must be at the very core of the project’s user experience.

Interactive & Expressive: Submissions should explore new forms of creative expression, performance tools, or novel audio visualization.

Novel Integration: Bonus points for unique combinations of audio pipelines, live hardware controls, or creative MIDI/DSP hacks.

Build a project that bridges software with the physical world in a tangible, interactive, or surprising way. Teams could build custom robotics, hack smart home devices, create wearable tech, or connect physical sensors and controllers to AI models to react to the environment around them.

Physical Component: Must feature custom hardware, microcontrollers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32), sensor arrays, or physical actuators.

Software-to-Hardware Bridge: Seamless integration between digital logic/models and physical hardware outputs or inputs.

Tangible Impact or Utility: Focus on physical interaction, hands-on fun, or novel real-world sensory feedback.

Build an original project that uses ElevenLabs AI voice, audio, or speech technologies as a core component of how it works. Teams could integrate high-fidelity text-to-speech (TTS), speech-to-speech voice conversion, real-time Conversational AI agents, custom voice cloning, or automated dubbing and sound generation. These are examples within one challenge, and teams may combine them.

ElevenLabs Integration: ElevenLabs API, SDKs, or tools must play a central role in the project’s user experience or backend workflow.

Open Source & Licensing: The project must be published in a public GitHub repository and use an open-source license.

Conversational & Interactive Features: If using ElevenLabs Conversational AI or Agent features, the integration must demonstrate dynamic, interactive voice capabilities or custom tool usage.

Audio & Media Applications: Submissions using voice cloning, dubbing, or sound effects must include an original implementation, workflow, or interactive application around the generated audio.

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 a project with an unforgettable interface, intuitive user journey, or mind-bending visual interaction. This track isn’t just about clean buttons—it’s for sleek canvas interfaces, stunning 3D shaders, delightfully tactile micro-interactions, or spatial UI concepts that make everyday software feel magical to use.

Design Precision: Prioritize exceptional visual polish, fluid animations, typography, and thoughtful interaction design.

Usability & Flow: High aesthetics backed by an effortless, intuitive user flow that makes complex tech feel effortless.

Build something completely wild, absurd, hilarious, or delightfully unnecessary that embodies the true spirit of hackathon hacking! This track is for the projects that will definitely never get into Y Combinator, will never see a pitch deck, but will make the entire room burst out laughing or stand in awe of your chaotic genius.

Whether you’re training a fine-tuned model to roast your teammate’s GitHub commits in a dramatic Shakespearean accent, building a physical device that squirts water whenever your build fails, or creating an AI agent whose only goal is to aggressively negotiate for free pizza—if it’s fun, whimsical, and wildly creative, it belongs here.

Pure Hackathon Energy: Prioritize fun, humor, novel interactions, or sheer absurdity over commercial viability, TAM, or business metrics.

Chaotic Creativity: Embrace wild ideas, unexpected tech stacks, or bizarre hardware hacks that exist purely for the joy of building.

Local Flavor & Culture: Bonus points for nods to Manchester, hackathon lore, inside jokes, or local vibes!