hack404 big label

A 36-hour hackathon based in Toronto where secondary and post-secondary students, from first-time hackers to seasoned builders, team up to solve real-world problems and shape tomorrow's technology.

Presented by
Power Unit Youth Organization x UTMIST

July 4 - 6, 2025

Greater Toronto Area

Toronto skyline at night

What is
hack404?

Hack404 is a 36-hour hackathon in Toronto, ON. We're hoping to bring together 200 students who are passionate about learning and building to create projects that excite them. We're focused on our three pillars: education, innovation, and community.

Event Structure

Beginner stream

Beginner teams will attend 3-5 workshops throughout the weekend, creating 'mini-hacks' rather than a single large project. Then, they'll be judged portfolio-style, where they showcase their top 3 mini-hacks and are evaluated based on their technical execution, creativity, and innovation.

Regular stream

Hackers will have 36 hours to create an innovative project in line with our three pillars—education, innovation, and community—and a problem statement that will be announced during opening ceremonies. We'll also be hosting activities and workshops throughout the weekend!

Who can participate?

Hack404 is for students, by students. Whether you're a beginner hacker or have been to 10+ hackathons, we'd love for you to continue to innovate at Hack404. We welcome applications from high school and post-secondary students, as well as those who graduated in 2025.

FAQ

Registration

How do I register?

Applications are closed now. Keep an eye out and follow our socials for updates!

General

I've never been to a hackathon before, what can I expect?

We'd love to have you! A hackathon is a 36-hour event where hundreds of students come together to build technical projects. For our beginner stream, you'll attend 3–5 workshops where you'll be guided through different 'mini-hacks' from start to finish. For our regular stream, you'll have the full 36 hours to work on a project, with exciting workshops, activities, and mentorship support available.

What makes Hack404 unique?

We created Hack404 around three key values: education, innovation, and community. To us, this means: Education: Making the hackathon scene (and tech in general) more accessible to beginners. Getting started can be the hardest step, and we want to make that easier for first-time hackers. Innovation: We've seen that the tech scene is changing. New technologies, especially in the realm of AI, are constantly emerging, and we're encouraging our hackers to lean in to these technologies to make exciting new projects. Community: We want our hackers to think about the communities that they're a part of – what problems do they face, and how might our tech solutions help them? Think outside of just the developer community – let's make tech that benefits everyone.

How big are teams?

Teams can be between 1–4 people! Don't have a team? Don't worry, you'll have the opportunity to create and finalize a team at the event!

How is Power Unit Youth Organization involved?

Power Unit Youth Organization (link) is a youth-driven non-profit organization based in Markham. Founded in 2002, it empowers youth-led initiatives – past hits have included night market Night It Up!, business case competition the E3 challenge, and career conference Level Up. Hack404 is PUYO's latest initiative. PUYO is dedicated to youth development, empowerment, and philanthropy, and has a proven track record of over 1000 trained youth leaders and $143,000 donated to local charities.

How much does it cost to attend?

Attending Hack404 is completely free! We're aiming to reduce barriers to hackers of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. We'll be providing the venue, food, mentors, activities, and more – all you have to do is bring your laptop and your ideas.

I have another question, who can I contact?

Feel free to send us an email at support@hack404.dev!

Contact

support@hack404.devinfo@power-unit.org

Link to our socials