Which Atlanta universities run hackathons or pitch competitions that are open to the public?

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4.0

Georgia Institute of Technology

4.4

Emory University

3.9

Georgia State University

3.8

Kennesaw State University

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Georgia Institute of Technology

4.0

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Emory University

4.4

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Private university

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Georgia State University

3.9

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Public university

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Kennesaw State University

3.8

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Public university

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Yes—but there’s an important distinction between open to the public to attend and open to non-students to compete. I checked the current 2026 offerings, and Atlanta universities are much more generous about public attendance than public participation.

University Event Who can compete? Can the public attend? Timing

Georgia Institute of Technology CREATE-X Startup Launch Showcase Georgia Tech-affiliated founders Yes — explicitly free and open to the public May 21, 2026

Georgia Tech Commercialization

Georgia Tech CREATE-X Demo Day Georgia Tech-affiliated startup teams Yes — free and open to the public Sept. 3, 2026

Research News Center

Georgia Tech I2P Showcase Georgia Tech student teams Yes — free and open to the public Spring; Apr. 27 in 2026

Georgia Tech Commercialization

Georgia Tech HackGT College students from any school, not just Georgia Tech Not a general-public competition Sept. 25–27, 2026

HackGT 13

Georgia Tech RoboTech Undergraduate/graduate students, including students at nearby universities Spectator access varies; competition isn't general-public entry Next edition Jan.…

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Named: Atlanta, Georgia Tech, Georgia Tech CREATE-X, Emory University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, ATDC

Sources cited: mapbox.com, commercialization.gatech.edu, news.research.gatech.edu, hack.gt, sites.gatech.edu, goizueta.emory.edu, hacklanta.devpost.com, calendar.kennesaw.edu, accessgaf.org

Claude

Worth flagging a distinction up front, since it changes the answer a lot: most university-run events in Atlanta are "open" in the sense that anyone from any school can compete, but still require you to be an enrolled student. Only a few are open to the general public.

Open to any college student (not just their own)

Georgia Tech runs the deepest bench. HackGT, its flagship hackathon, runs September 25–27, 2026 at the Klaus Center; hackers must be enrolled college students, and non-Georgia Tech participants must be 18 or older by the start date. It's free once you're on campus. Hacklytics, the data science and AI hackathon from Data Science @ GT, is scheduled for February 26–28, 2027, also at Klaus. EnergyHack @ GT ran January 23–25, 2026 at the Bill Moore Student Success Center and explicitly welcomed students from other universities regardless of major or experience. The IEEE student chapter's Robotech Hackathon, a 36-hour robotics build, ran January 22–25, 2026 in the Klaus Atrium.

HackGT 13 +3

Georgia State hosts Hacklanta — October 9–11, 2026 in the Student Center East Ballroom, a 36-hour event expecting over 1,000 college builders from across the country, free for accepted participants. Registering on Devpost isn't enough; you also have to apply at hacklanta.dev.

Hackathons USA

Emory has Emory Hacks, run by PROJECT Emory and aimed at bringing hundreds of students together. There's also an ATL Startup Hackathon held at Emory — a one-day build-and-pitch event where…

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Named: Atlanta, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Emory University, Georgia Tech CREATE-X, Venture Atlanta

Sources cited: hack.gt, ushackathons.com, us.allhackathons.com, eventbrite.com, cc.gatech.edu, avantsouth.com, create-x.gatech.edu, theopenpitch.com, ventureatlanta.org

Gemini

Several major universities in Atlanta host hackathons and pitch competitions that welcome public participation, either as general participants, mentors, or spectators/audience members.

www.hackatl.org

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)

HackGT

hack.gt

Type: Hackathon

Public Access: Participants/Hackers

hack.gt

Details: HackGT is one of the largest student-run university hackathons in the nation. While focused on college students, it is open to any currently enrolled college or university student (age 18+) globally—not just Georgia Tech students. Mentors, judges, and industry sponsors from the public and tech ecosystem are also invited to participate.

hack.gt

CREATE-X Demo Day

Georgia Tech

Type: Pitch Competition & Startup Showcase

Public Access: Open to the Public (Spectators, Investors, Mentors)

Georgia Tech

Details: Hosted annually by Georgia Tech’s CREATE-X initiative, Demo Day showcases over 100 student- and faculty-launched startups. The showcase and pitch presentations are completely free and open to community members, local investors, and tech enthusiasts.

Georgia Tech CREATE-X

Georgia Tech Open Hackathon

Open Hackathons

Type: High-Performance Computing / Data Hackathon

Public Access: Open to external participants & domain experts

Details: Co-hosted with partners like NVIDIA and OpenACC, this virtual multi-day hackathon pairs computational researchers and software developers with mentors. While priority is given to GT-affiliated teams, it is…

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Named: Atlanta, Georgia Tech, Georgia Tech CREATE-X, Emory University, Georgia State University, Atlanta Tech Village, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University

Sources cited: hackatl.org, hack.gt, gatech.edu, create-x.gatech.edu, openhackathons.org, unation.com, us.allhackathons.com, commercialization.gatech.edu, futurehackathon.com, innovate.emory.edu, events.tie.org

Perplexity

Yes—Georgia Tech is the clearest Atlanta university option if you mean competitions that people outside the host institution can actually enter. Several Georgia Tech programs are open to broader student or public audiences; by contrast, Emory and Georgia State events found in this search are generally restricted to their own enrolled students, though some finals may be publicly viewable.

Best matches

University Program What is open to the public? Who can compete?

Georgia Tech HackGT HackGT’s annual 36-hour hackathon describes its halls as open to everyone regardless of background, experience, or skill level; its 2025 edition drew 910 participants and advertised more than $33,000 in prizes. Confirm the next event’s registration rules when it is announced.

hackgt-12.devpost

Broadly open; commonly marketed to hackers beyond Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech Horizons by HackGT A two-day make-a-thon on campus where anyone 18 or older can attend, participate, and build; it is free and provides food, hardware, mentors, and project support.

gatech

Anyone age 18+

Georgia Tech Robotech Hackathon A free 36-hour robotics competition held on the GT campus. The 2026 rules allowed undergraduate and graduate students, including university students within driving distance of Georgia Tech.

arts.gatech

College/university students, including non-GT students

Georgia Tech DreamHacks A free high-school hackathon hosted on the Georgia Tech campus, designed for Georgia high-school students of all…

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Named: Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Emory University, Georgia State University

Sources cited: hackgt-12.devpost.com, hg.gatech.edu, arts.gatech.edu, ushackathons.com, inventureprize.gatech.edu, cc.gatech.edu, news.gsu.edu, calendar.gsu.edu, goizueta.emory.edu, together.emory.edu, ivmf.syracuse.edu, calendar.gatech.edu, careerservices.upenn.edu, campus.kennesaw.edu, dallasinnovates.com, braininnovationdays.eu, atlantanewsfirst.com, dreamhacks-gt.devpost.com, startupmountainsummit.com, usaii.org, growthmentor.com, sloss.tech, w1.calendar.oit.gatech.edu, eghtesadonline.com, calendar.fau.edu, awarehome.gatech.edu, innovate.emory.edu, commercialization.gatech.edu, undergraduate.gatech.edu, feeds.ajc.com, markets.businessinsider.com, coxcleantech.com, linkedin.com, atlantastemsummercamps.com, audacy.com, veritasai.com, rally.kamolpop.dev