ALI Builds is a beginner-friendly Chicago-based hackathon designed to empower students of all experience levels to turn ideas into real-world impact. 

The Prompt:
“Unfair Advantage”: Every system has hidden “cheat codes”: knowledge, access, networks, language, and capital. Some people have them. Others don’t.

Participants will work solo or in teams of up to four to:

- Identify a real asymmetry that affects underprivileged communities

- Build a tool that gives their chosen group an advantage

- Share a 2-minute video demo of your project

- Make a slideshow presentation (final contenders will have to present)

**IMPORTANT** MAKE SURE TO READ THE DEVPOSTS HACKATHON STARTER KIT EMAIL!

• Impact (30%)
  Does the project solve a real-world problem? Does it create meaningful social or community impact? How useful or important is the solution to its target users?
• Creativity & Originality (25%)
  Is the idea unique or innovative? Does it show out-of-the-box thinking? Does the project go beyond existing solutions?
• Technical Effort (25%)
  How well is the project implemented? Does it demonstrate coding, engineering, or design skill? Complexity and functionality will be considered, but beginner projects will be judged fairly.
• Presentation & Communication (20%)
  Clarity and completeness of the submission (description, files, videos). How well the project is explained to the judges. Visual appeal and organization of materials.