SFU Hack the Future

What is Hack the Future?

Hack the Future is a hackathon for Grade 8-12 girls, young women, and non-binary youth. Our aim is to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment centered on creativity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. We welcome participants of all levels of expertise, whether you are new to coding or have some coding experience! For those who are new to coding, we will offer several pre-hackathon workshops to help you develop your skills in various digital tools and programming languages. The registration for the hackathon and pre-hackathon workshops is free. 

Join us to learn new skills, unleash your creativity, and win exciting prizes while making lasting connections with mentors and your peers!

Why Hack the Future?

A hackathon is an event where participants come together to work diligently on a project within a set timeframe. Hackathons have become increasingly common, spanning various fields such as life sciences, healthcare, and business. Moreover, participating in hackathons presents many benefits, including learning new skills, working on cool projects, meeting new people, and connecting with mentors—all of which can strengthen university applications and job prospects.

However, we recognize that taking part in a hackathon, particularly if it’s your first time, may seem daunting. That's where Hack the Future comes in as an excellent starting point! Our hackathon focuses on fun, learning, teamwork, and creativity. We are dedicated to providing participants with the support they need to bring their ideas to life within the scope of this hackathon.

Hack the Future 2025

Date: March 8, 2025 (Saturday)

Time: 9:00 am-4:30 pm PST

Audience: Grade 8-12 girls, young women, and non-binary youth who are currently attending school in Canada

Cost: Free

Location: SFU Sustainable Energy Engineering Building (10285 University Dr, Surrey, BC V3T 0N1)

Team size: 5-8 persons

Tentative Schedule

Please see a preliminary schedule of the hackathon below. Please note that this is subject to change. All times are in PST.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is recommended that you check out the FAQs before signing up!

Sign up for Hack the Future 2025 now!

Info Session & Pre-hackathon Workshops

We will offer an info session in January 2024 and various pre-hackathon workshops to help you get started. Don’t forget to check them out below!

INfo session

Jan 20, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Have questions about the Hack the Future hackathon? Join this info session to meet the organizers and get more details!

Pre-hackathon Workshop: Ideation

Jan 20, 2024 (Sat) | 11:00 am - 12:00 Pm

Coming out with project ideas could be challenging for some, especially if this is your first hackathon experience. Join this pre-hackathon workshop to get your creative juices flowing and brainstorm cool project ideas!

Pre-hackathon Workshop: Python Basics

Jan 27, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm

The Python basics workshop introduces the basics of the Python programming language and best practices in programming. This workshop will cover Python syntax, variables, conditionals, and loops. It is beginner friendly and will use Google Colaboratory. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code Python Basics workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.

Pre-hackathon Workshop: Turtle Graphics in Python

Feb 3, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm

The Turtle Graphics in Python workshop will introduce students to coding concepts through creating pictures and shapes on a virtual canvas using the Python turtle library. It is a fun and interactive way to learn programming for beginners. This workshop will use Google Colaboratory. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code Turtle Graphics in Python workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.

Pre-hackathon Workshop: Mobile App Dev

Feb 10, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm

The Mobile App Dev workshop is open to students who are interested in how to plan, prototype, and code a mobile app. This workshop is beginner-friendly and will use Thunkable, which is a drag-and-drop app builder. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code Mobile App Dev workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.

Pre-hackathon Workshop: Intro to HTML/CSS

Feb 24, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm

The Intro to HTML & CSS workshop is open to students who are interested in learning the basics of HTML and CSS and how to use them for making web pages. This workshop is beginner-friendly and will use CodePen. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code HTML/CSS workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.

Pre-hackathon Workshop: Machine Learning for Kids

mar 2, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Machine Learning for Kids is a free, web-based tool that offers hands-on experiences for training machine learning models and creating projects. For hackathon participants who are interested in exploring AI concepts and skills, this pre-hackathon workshop could be for you! 

Pre-hackathon Workshop: How to Present Your Project

mar 2, 2024 (Sat) | 11:00 am - 12:00 Pm

At the end of the hackathon, participants will present their project to a panel of judges and their peers. Join this pre-hackathon workshop and learn how to craft an engaging presentation to effectively communicate your project with a general audience!

Learning Materials & Resources

Click on the buttons below to check out learning materials and resources on various topics!

Contact

For more information, please contact saadmin5@sfu.ca.