The Hackathon returns to Charlotte, Nov. 5 – 8, 2025, where the mayor of The Queen City will be joining to greet students from more than two dozen HBCUs. The competition will feature 300 students this year, from up to 30 HBCUs – more than ever in years past. Registration is now open through Sept. 15 at blackenterprise.com/hackathon.
“I am so proud of our BE Smart Hackathon and its participants. It has met its goal of providing a showcase for HBCU students to display their technical expertise and gain exposure to the top companies in global business.”
Competitors Overview
Competitors must be junior or senior computer science, computer engineering, and cybersecurity majors who form teams to develop technical solutions to solve real-world challenges. A panel of judges examines each team’s application impact, technical complexity, and user-friendliness while also rating teams on their pitch and presentation skills. A suite of prizes is offered for winners, including AAdvantage miles from American Airlines, savvy digital devices, and useful tech gear.
This Years Hackathon Sponsors
Sponsors for the 10th annual BE Smart Hackathon also include The City of Charlotte, Fidelity Investments, McDonald’s, Manulife John Hancock, NASCAR, Nationwide, PepsiCo, Toyota, Verizon, and Visa. This marks the largest Hackathon sponsor pool to date.
“I also want to take the time to applaud all of you for your unwavering commitment and partnership in our creation and expansion of platforms to showcase diverse talent and offer opportunities to future tech innovators and business leaders,” Graves said to partners and participants last fall. “I am so proud of our BE Smart Hackathon and its participants. It has met its goal of providing a showcase for HBCU students to display their technical expertise and gain exposure to the top companies in global business.”
Protégé - 2024 Hackathon Winners!
The 2024 winning team was Protégé, comprised of Spelman College seniors Brianna Bray, A’laysia Miller-Chambliss, Morgan Lee, and Jasmine Singleton. The winning team received 100,000 AAdvantage miles from American Airlines, a MacBook Air, and a DJI Drones Mini 4 Pro.
