Fall 2026 Hack-A-Roo is a poster competition held in MNLC 352. Every team submits a poster, which we print for the event. Judges review every poster in person, choose the finalists at the event, and the finalists give a 5-minute presentation before the awards.
Two tracks
Build Track
Bring your own idea.
Registration open through November 10th
AI / Data Science, Quantum
You do both here: pitch your own problem and build the solution. Pick a track and build a working project with your team of up to 4 students, then present it to the judges. A faculty mentor is required and is not counted in that limit.
Build a Pitched Idea
Build a real problem from across UMKC.
Healthcare, Business, Education, NSF Sponsored
The problem comes to you. Real-world problems were pitched from the Bloch School of Management, the School of Medicine, and the School of Education, and faculty reviewers chose the strongest ones. Pick one, join its build team of up to 3 UMKC Computer Science and Engineering students, and build it with the people who pitched it. A faculty mentor is required and does not count toward the limit.
What you can build
Build Track
You bring the idea. Pick one of these two tracks and build it.
AI / Data Science
Build with machine learning and data, from models and LLMs to agents, computer vision, natural language, and prediction.
Register to build →
Quantum
Build with quantum computing and quantum AI, from quantum algorithms and optimization to quantum-plus-machine-learning hybrids.
Register to build →Build a Pitched Idea
You pick a real problem pitched from the Bloch School of Management, the School of Medicine, and the School of Education. Every one falls into one of these areas.
Healthcare
Real problems from clinics, hospitals, patients, and public health, like triage, access to care, and medical data.
Business
Problems from companies and operations, like finance and forecasting, logistics, customer experience, and productivity.
Education
Problems from classrooms and learning, like tutoring, instant feedback, accessibility, and student success.
NSF Sponsored
Problems tied to UMKC's NSF Research Traineeship (NRT), the program's NSF NRT research work, with a broader science and societal-impact focus.
Register now
Build something.
Bring your own idea, or join an interdisciplinary idea from the Bloch School of Management, the School of Medicine, or the School of Education.
Register →Build a pitched idea.
Real-world problems pitched from the Bloch School of Management, the School of Medicine, and the School of Education, in Healthcare, Business, Education, and NSF Sponsored. Pick one, join its build team, and build it with the people who pitched it.
See the ideas →Rules, guidelines, and evaluation
Two ways to compete
Build Track
Bring your own idea, a personal project, something new you thought of, or something you have been working on in class related to AI or Quantum, and build it. Then show it off.
- Bring your own idea in AI / Data Science or Quantum.
- It can be a personal project, something new you thought of, or class work you want to take further.
- You define your own problem and who it is for, then build the solution.
- Register a team of up to 4 students, or enter on your own.
- A faculty mentor is required for your team.
- You are judged on the project you build and present to the judges.
Build a Pitched Idea
This track starts with a real problem. Faculty, clinicians, and students from the Bloch School of Management, the School of Medicine, and the School of Education pitched them, reviewers chose the strongest, and UMKC Computer Science and Engineering students build them.
- Selected ideas are posted on October 12th at 7:00 PM Central in Healthcare, Business, Education, and NSF Sponsored areas.
- Each idea comes with a plain description of the problem and the people who pitched it.
- Join any time until November 10th, while seats are open. Each build team takes up to 3 students.
- You build it with the people who pitched it, as one interdisciplinary team.
- A faculty mentor is required for your build team.
Solutions may include AI, software, engineering systems, data analytics, visualization, sensing, applications, prototypes, or other technical approaches, depending on the problem.
Pick a pitched idea
Real problems pitched from the Bloch School of Management, the School of Medicine, and the School of Education. UMKC Computer Science and Engineering students pick one and build it with the people who pitched it. Prefer your own idea? That is the Build Track, register your team above.
Loading projects…
General rules and guidelines
- If you join a pitched idea, you are expected to communicate and work together as one team, the people who pitched plus the student builders, to build it. This is interdisciplinary teamwork toward a shared goal, not a hand-off, so plan to meet, share progress, and see the project through together.
- Only UMKC students are eligible to win prize money. Faculty, mentors, and organizations cannot win the cash prizes.
- Every team must have a faculty mentor. A mentor is required whether you build your own idea or a pitched one, and does not count toward the student team limit.
- Students may participate individually or as a team.
- Each team should focus on a clearly defined problem and target users.
- Projects should demonstrate a working solution, prototype, application, system, model, or meaningful proof of concept.
- Projects should be substantially developed by the student team during the Hack-A-Roo project period.
- Teams may use AI tools, open-source software, APIs, public datasets, hardware, and other technical resources when appropriate.
- Teams should clearly identify any external tools, datasets, models, or resources used.
- Use only data you have the right to use, whether public or properly licensed.
- Do not include any personally identifiable information, protected health information, confidential information, or trade secrets in any project or dataset.
- Projects must not be harmful, deceptive, or unsafe, and teams should consider usability, feasibility, responsible AI, privacy, security, bias, and potential misuse.
- The final submission should clearly explain the problem, proposed solution, implementation, results, limitations, and potential impact.
- Every team submits one poster: a single-page PDF, 48 inches wide by 36 inches tall (landscape). Free 48 x 36 templates are linked on the submission page, or in PowerPoint set the Slide Size to 48 x 36 inches before you start.
- Poster submission is due November 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM Central. This is a hard deadline, and late submissions are not accepted or judged.
- We print every submitted poster. Printed posters are ready for pickup at the event on November 13th, and UDICA will arrange poster boards and easels for displaying them.
- Warning: Carefully review your poster before submitting it for printing. The SSE Dean's Office covers the first printing, but students will be charged $25 for a second printing.
- Every team must attend poster judging on November 13th in MNLC 352. Attendance at poster judging is required to be eligible for the finalist presentations and awards.
- Judges choose the finalists at the event. Finalists are announced on the spot and give a 5-minute presentation with their poster on screen, followed by the awards.
- Judging follows the five evaluation criteria below, and the judges' decisions are final.
- A mentor or judge may not evaluate a team they are involved with.
- Awards are given per track.
You do not need a full, end‑to‑end product.
No polished app or fully working system is required. Focus on the main AI component and show it working. Go beyond only an idea, but a prototype, proof of concept, or working core is exactly what we want to see. The strongest projects pair that with a meaningful problem, creative and innovative thinking, clear real-world impact, and an exciting demonstration.
Evaluation criteria
20%
Creativity
How original and imaginative is the idea or approach? Does the team look at the problem in a new or interesting way?
20%
Innovation
Does the project introduce a new method, technology, combination of technologies, workflow, or solution beyond a basic implementation?
20%
Impact
How meaningful is the problem being addressed? Could the solution provide real value to users, organizations, communities, or society?
20%
Completeness and Technical Execution
How well has the team transformed the idea into a functioning solution or prototype? Is the system sufficiently implemented, tested, and demonstrated?
20%
Excitement and Presentation
Does the project capture attention and clearly communicate why the solution matters? Is the demonstration compelling, understandable, and engaging?
Poster submission due November 10th at 5:00 PM Central.
One single-page PDF per team, 48 x 36 inches, landscape. We print it for you. Submit your poster →
Key dates
Build Track
Bring your own idea and build it.
Open now
Registration open
Registration for the Build Track is open right now. Pick AI / Data Science or Quantum, add your teammates, and lock in a team of up to four students. The sooner you register, the sooner you can start building.
Fri, Oct 16 · 1:00 PM
Q&A session on Zoom
Drop in with questions about expectations, teams, technical support, or submissions. The Zoom link appears on this site at 1:00 PM that day.
Tue, Nov 10 · 5:00 PM
Poster due, registration closes
Registration for the Build Track stays open until this moment. Submit your poster: one single-page PDF, 48 x 36 inches, landscape. We print it for pickup at the event.
Build a Pitched Idea
Build a real problem from across UMKC.
Oct 9 to 12
Pitched ideas under review
Real-world problems were pitched from the Bloch School of Management, the School of Medicine, and the School of Education. Faculty reviewers are choosing the strongest ones now.
Mon, Oct 12 · 7:00 PM
Selected ideas posted, joining opens
The chosen problems are posted with a clear description and the person who pitched them. Pick one that fits and join its build team. Joining is rolling, any time until November 10th while seats are open. The build team takes up to three students.
Fri, Oct 16 · 1:00 PM
Q&A session on Zoom
Drop in with questions about expectations, teams, technical support, or submissions. The Zoom link appears on this site at 1:00 PM that day.
Tue, Nov 10 · 5:00 PM
Poster submission due
Your whole team, the people who pitched plus the builders, submits one poster: a single-page PDF, 48 x 36 inches, landscape. We print it for pickup at the event. Joining a build team closes at this deadline too.
Fri, Nov 13
Hack-A-Roo
Poster judging, finalists, and awards, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in MNLC 352. Attendance at poster judging is required.