United Hacks V5 - Hackathon Recap

Over the weekend of July 11-13, United Hacks V5 brought together over 1,250 student innovators from around the world, showcasing limitless creativity, remarkable talent, and groundbreaking ideas. With 80+ teams competing and more than 200 participants attending workshops, this year’s hackathon marked a new high point for Hack United, our most ambitious and impactful event yet.

Centered around the theme of Entertainment, this year’s challenge invited participants to reimagine how we create, consume, and connect through digital media. From rethinking interactive storytelling to reinventing the way we experience music, games, and culture, United Hacks V5 participants explored bold new frontiers of engagement and expression.

Our panel of judges consisted of experienced professionals from across the tech, design, and entrepreneurship industries. Each judge carefully evaluated each project across five key criteria: creativity, practicality, design, presentation, and technical complexity. After careful deliberation, a handful of standout projects emerged, each exemplifying the innovation, clarity, and technical excellence United Hacks strives to foster.

First Place (Entertainment): Boom!

Developed by Henry Tian and his team in Toronto, Boom! It was born out of the team’s early experiences with content creation and the frustration of trying to succeed as influencers. As a result, Boom! was created, a web application that analyzes Twitch chat data using a fast LLM model. It evaluates user-inputted intervals for excitement based on factors such as message velocity, capitalization, emoji use, and overall tone. Boom helps beginner streamers identify which moments were most engaging and which ones fell flat, offering valuable insight into improving content.

Second Place (Entertainment): Entertainment Analyzer

Created by Sujal Thapa, Entertainment Analyzer began as a personal passion project rooted in the belief that what we watch reveals who we are. Built as a Chrome extension, the tool goes beyond tracking media consumption, but presents it in a visual and emotional narrative. Key features include emotion heatmaps, weekly AI-generated voice reviews, mood-based recommendations, and even creative personality profiles based on what you watch. Designed and built entirely from scratch, this project turns screen time into an opportunity for self-reflection, storytelling, and discovery.

First Place (General): SkinSights

Developed by Matthew Vijayasegar and Derrick Kim, two high school students who personally experienced the struggle of managing acne, SkinSights is a mobile app designed to make personalized skincare more approachable. After countless hours of experimenting with various treatments, they realized that skincare isn’t one-size-fits-all, and that trial and error can be both expensive and discouraging.

SkinSights helps users develop a custom skincare routine based on an onboarding questionnaire and photos taken from multiple angles. The app provides a score reflecting the severity of their skin condition and recommends specific products, each with clear explanations of its purpose and benefits. Additional features include daily check-ins, a progress tracker, environment-based skincare reminders, and a customizable skincare routine lab. The app offers a smarter and more approachable path to skincare.

Second Place (General): Structra

Structra, developed by Ashwin Kirubakaran, was created to overcome the issues that plague traditional protein modeling software: the lack of accessible, beginner-friendly tools for visualizing protein structures. This web application allows users to upload PDB files and view protein structures in 3D. Whether you’re a student just learning biology or a researcher seeking a quick visualization tool, Structra makes complex molecular data more understandable and engaging. The project bridges the gap between deep science and user-friendly design, making protein modeling not just possible, but approachable.

Best Solo Hack: Eduloop

Built by solo developer Rambler Matumbura, Eduloop is a web application created to address digital education barriers in regions with limited technology and access to WiFi. The app operates within a local network, which eliminates the need for Wi-Fi or cellular data. Students can communicate, exchange files, and manage group projects through an understandable interface. Educational materials can also be downloaded on campus and accessed offline. By blending features found in platforms like Google Classroom and WhatsApp, Eduloop provides academic support to underserved areas.

Best Pitch Winner: Konnect

Designed by Nitya Sav, Siddhanth Tatavarthi, Alvin Kalaivannan, and Ryan Roychowdhury, the Toronto-based team behind Konnect set out to make networking more human. Inspired by platforms like LinkedIn, Tinder, and Pokémon GO, Konnect encourages users to explore their surroundings, attend local events, and participate in real-time social challenges. With a sleek UI, interactive map, user profiles, leaderboards, and a built-in safety alert system, the app is all about fostering meaningful face-to-face connections in a digital-first world.

Poster Giveaway Winner

As part of the many community-focused activities at United Hacks V5, Hack United hosted several giveaways throughout the event. During the closing ceremony, Jiwon Jeong was selected as the winner of the poster board giveaway, recognizing their active engagement and participation.

Moonshot Winner: Cassette

The Moonshot Award celebrates the most forward-thinking, boundary-pushing idea of the hackathon—one that reimagines possibility and creates impact through bold vision. This year’s winner is Neshanth Anand for Cassette, a revolutionary storytelling tool for blind and visually impaired creators.

Cassette was inspired by conversations with Marcus, a blind receptionist at the California School for the Blind, and the question: What if blind individuals could direct films? The result is a voice-controlled, screen-free platform that allows users to build immersive audio stories—layering music, sound effects, and dialogue entirely through speech.

By shifting the medium of film from visual to auditory, Cassette opens up new creative possibilities and redefines accessibility as a powerful innovation driver. It’s a bold reimagination of storytelling, and a perfect embodiment of the Moonshot Award’s spirit.

Conclusion

United Hacks V5, held over the weekend of July 11-13, showcased an extraordinary spectrum of creativity, innovation, and technical brilliance. From ambitious solo projects to collaborative, impact-driven platforms, the event proved just how powerful student innovators can be when given the freedom to explore, build, and inspire. Each project reflected the passion, curiosity, and drive that define the United Hacks community.

As we wrap up these unforgettable chapters, we’re already setting sights on what’s next. United Hacks V6 is on the horizon, and registration is officially open. Be part of that journey. Let's build the future, one idea at a time!

Important Links

If you are interested in learning more about Hack United, visit the following links below!

• Website: https://www.hackunited.org/

• United Hacks V5 Website: https://unitedhacks.hackunited.org/

• United Hacks V5 Devpost: https://unitedhacksv5.devpost.com/

• United Hacks V6 Devpost: https://unitedhacksv6.devpost.com/

• Social Media: https://www.hackunited.org/social

• Discord Server: discord.gg/hackunited

To support future events, please consider donating. All contributions are tax-deductible. Visit hackunited.org/donate for more information.