Frontier Cascadia
Congratulations to the in-person winners of Frontier Cascadia!
September 12, 2026 is a wrap. Thank you for building with us.
Meet the people who made it possible.
MEET THE TEAMBuild what's
next.
Frontier Cascadia is not a classroom exercise. It is not a science fair. It is one day to build something real. Software that solves a problem, tells a story, or changes how someone sees the world. The best thing you could get out of a weekend.
We bring together the most technically ambitious high school students across the United States, put them in a room with the resources they need, and ask them to ship solutions in 12 hours.
Then we put them in front of judges who take them seriously. No participation trophies. No grade inflation. The standard is whether it works.
Built by students,
for students.
The story behind Frontier Cascadia is pretty simple. Many high school students across the United States are genuinely good at building things. They have ideas. They're technical. What they don't have is the space, the time, the tools, or the chance to sit in a room with people who've actually shipped products and learn from them. Most of the time, the gap between a good idea and a real project is just a runway.
Frontier Cascadia is how we're closing that gap. It's a one-day hackathon on September 12 at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington in Seattle. All high schoolers across the United States are welcome to join us for 12 hours of building real software from scratch. Entry is free, and the prize pool offers up to $58,000 in cash and winner benefits: everything from a grand prize to free credits to company- and track-specific awards and themes. Projects get judged by engineers and professionals from Seattle's tech community on a real rubric.
Frontier Cascadia is a 501(c)(3) public charity based in Washington.
Up to $58,000 in prizes & winner benefits
Up to $180,000 in total student value
Real money, plus the credits, tools, and hardware that take a project past the hackathon. Every participant walks away with some of it.
Total values include cash plus up to the additional value shown. Maximum scholarship and other per-person benefits assume a full team of four members, the team-size limit. Smaller teams may receive less total additional value. Cash amounts are per winning team.
The three overall placements are in-person only. Participants must be based in the United States to be eligible for prizes. Eligible remote projects compete for every track award, judged on the same rubric. How remote participation works
Credits, tools, hardware, and partner resources go to everyone who builds with us, not just the winners.
Show up.
Build.
Ship.
Bring an idea, form a team, or hack solo. We handle the rest.
Tangible projects
No slideshows without something to show. If it doesn't work, it's not done. Code, hardware, whatever. Just make it real.
Industry sponsors on site
Top Seattle tech companies will have booths, run workshops, and be around all day to answer questions.
Real feedback
Present to judges from big tech, universities, and VCs who build products for a living. Expect honest questions.
Everything is free
Meals, caffeine, swag, and cloud credits are on us. Just bring your machine.
Build with us,
from wherever you are.
We've heard from students across the United States who can't easily travel to Seattle but still want to showcase their talent and ideas.
You can now participate in Frontier Cascadia live online. Remote participants follow the same schedule, submit through Devpost, and present to real judges on the same rubric.
Two things only happen in the room: meals all day, and mentors at your table instead of in a queue.
The three overall placements are in-person only. Participants must be based in the United States to be eligible for prizes. Eligible remote projects compete for every track award. See the full prize list
In-person participation is strongly encouraged for students who live in the Greater Seattle area.
Common questions
Who can participate?
High school students in grades 9 through 12 across the United States are welcome. Participants must be based in the United States to be eligible for prizes. You don't need to know how to code yet, but you should be ready to learn fast.
Where is it?
The Foster School of Business at the University of Washington in Seattle. Founders Hall, 4215 E Stevens Way NE. It's a short walk from the U District light rail station, and there's parking on campus.
I have the SAT that morning.
September 12 is an SAT date, so late check-in stays open until 3 PM. Flag it when you register, come straight from the test, and you'll still have hours to build. Standard prize eligibility requirements apply.
Can I start before the event?
You can plan, sketch, read docs, and set up an empty repo with boilerplate and dependencies installed. What you can't do is show up with the project already working. The logic gets written on the day, and that's the same rule for everyone.
Do I need a team?
No. You can come solo and find teammates at the event, bring your friends, or hack alone. Teams can be up to 4 people.
What should I bring?
Your laptop, a charger, and any hardware you want to use. We provide food, drinks, wifi, and power strips.
Is it really free?
Yes. Completely free. Meals, snacks, swag, cloud credits, all of it. We want cost to be zero barrier to showing up.
What can I build?
Anything that runs. Web apps, mobile apps, hardware projects, games, AI tools, browser extensions. If it works, it counts.
Do I need experience?
Some coding experience helps, but we have seen beginners build incredible things with industry experts available to answer questions and sheer determination. Don't count yourself out.
Backed by builders
These organizations keep Frontier Cascadia free for every hacker who walks in.
Want to get involved? FOR STUDENTS Thank you, School Ambassadors Thank you for helping students discover Frontier Cascadia. Applications for the 2026 event are now closed. Learn more
Congratulations to our in-person winners!
To every student who built and presented, and every judge, mentor, volunteer, sponsor, and organizer who made it happen: thank you.
The September 12, 2026 event has concluded. Registration and project submissions are closed.
MEET OUR SPONSORSGet in touch
Have a question about the event, sponsoring, or anything else? Drop us a message.