The Career Chase Hackathon, presented by the Internship Readiness Program (IRP), is an exclusive 24-hour innovation challenge designed for IRP students to demonstrate creativity, collaboration, and career-ready skills. Participants will tackle real-world challenges inspired by our corporate partners, BlackRock and U.S. Soccer, applying what they’ve learned through the Internship Readiness Program to develop practical, impactful solutions.

This event is designed to help IRP students gain hands-on experience in problem-solving, teamwork, and presentation skills that are essential for success in internships and future career opportunities. Students will work individually or in teams of two to research, design, and present their projects to industry judges for feedback and recognition.

The Career Chase Hackathon is more than a competition—it’s a career launchpad. Participants will have the opportunity to network with peers, connect with employers, and gain exposure to the innovation process from start to finish.

 

Get ready to chase your next opportunity, showcase your skills, and make your mark in this exclusive IRP experience!

Requirements

Submission Requirements

Participants must submit their projects via Microsoft Forms by 4:00 PM, October 28, 2025, including:

 

  • Team name and members

  • Challenge track

  • Project summary (3–5 sentences)

  • Problem statement and solution overview

  • Project link(s) (GitHub, demo video, presentation deck)

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

1 non-cash prize
Professional Recognition & Portfolio Development
1 winner

The Career Chase Hackathon is a skills-based experience focused on helping Internship Readiness Program students strengthen their portfolios, expand their GitHub projects, and gain hands-on experience tackling real-world challenges from our partners, BlackRock and U.S. Soccer.

Instead of traditional prizes, participants will walk away with:

A complete project for their resume and GitHub portfolio

Exposure to real industry problem-solving

Experience in presenting solutions to corporate partners

Feedback from industry professionals

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Jennifer Whitlow

Jennifer Whitlow
Head of Partnerships at Fusen

Jeff Ota

Jeff Ota
Vice President, Engineering, US Soccer

Judging Criteria

  • Judging Criteria
    Creativity and Innovation: Originality and uniqueness of the idea Practical Impact: Relevance to real-world challenges or community needs Feasibility: Realistic implementation potential Presentation Quality

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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