Join Canada's 🇨🇦leading hackathon for middle & high school students
At STEM Hacks, participants collaborate, create, and innovate with like-minded peers and industry mentors in a fun and competitive hackathon environment. Discover the thrill of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in action!
The Ultimate Hackathon for Canadian🇨🇦 Youth
STEM Hacks is Canada’s first-ever hackathon designed exclusively for middle and high school students, created and organized by Mathstronauts. This annual event is more than a competition — it’s an unforgettable experience that brings together curious, creative, and driven youth to dream, design, and innovate through science, technology, engineering, and math.
At STEM Hacks, students work in teams to solve real-world science and technology problems. The competition features two dynamic challenge streams:
Hands-On Hack: Teams design and build innovative prototypes that apply scientific principles to solve practical problems.
Coding Challenge: Participants dive into programming and design to develop cutting-edge digital solutions that make an impact.
Through these activities, students get to learn by doing. They test ideas, work together, and see how science and technology can be used to solve real issues. It’s a chance to practice problem-solving, teamwork, and creative thinking in a fun and supportive environment. Teams design and build physical projects that use science and engineering to solve everyday problems. Participants use computer programming to create digital solutions, such as simple apps, games, or tools.
Students work in teams of 4 to 5 to take on an exciting hands-on design and development challenge, applying their STEM skills to solve real-world problems. With guidance from inspiring mentors from universities and industry, each team develops an idea, builds a prototype, and presents their final solution to a panel of judges.
Each team’s project is reviewed by a panel of judges from various industries. Judges look for creativity, technical skill, and innovation. Top teams are recognized at the STEM Hacks Final Showcase, where students share what they built and celebrate their achievements together.
STEM Hacks is open to middle or high school students (depending on the theme and challenges) who are interested in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). Since its launch in 2016, more than 1,050 students from across Ontario have participated, sparking a growing province-wide passion for STEM.
Originally created for middle school students, the event proudly expanded in 2023 to include high school participants—opening even more opportunities for youth to connect, collaborate, and compete in one of Canada’s most exciting STEM challenges.
Our Latest STEM Hacks
In December 2023, we hosted our 6th STEM Hacks in Oshawa at Ontario Tech University, where 135 students from the Durham District School Board showcased their Python coding skills to solve an autonomous vehicle challenge.
STEM Hacks 2023 served as a culmination of Mathstronauts’ Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN)-funded in-class programs
Our Reach
STEM Hacks through the Years
The first STEM Hacks competition was launched in 2016 at McMaster University, where 100 enthusiastic middle school students came together to take part in Canada’s first hackathon designed just for youth. The incredible excitement from students, encouragement from parents, and strong community partnerships sparked a new idea — that students could learn, create, and innovate by coming together in this unique format. While hackathons were traditionally reserved for university students, Mathstronauts reimagined the experience for younger learners, giving them early exposure to hands-on STEM innovation.
From 2016 to 2020, STEM Hacks returned to McMaster University each year, featuring brand-new projects and challenges while staying true to its core mission: empowering youth to build teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills under the guidance of inspiring mentors. (Read more below for details about each competition.)
In 2023, STEM Hacks expanded its reach, hosting its first high school hackathon at Ontario Tech University — marking an exciting new chapter in the event’s growth and impact.
Today, STEM Hacks continues to thrive, attracting students, parents, and partners from across the province who share a passion for innovation, collaboration, and the limitless possibilities of STEM.
STEM Hacks through the Years
The first STEM Hacks competition was launched in 2016 at McMaster University, where 100 enthusiastic middle school students came together to take part in Canada’s first hackathon designed just for youth. The incredible excitement from students, encouragement from parents, and strong community partnerships sparked a new idea — that students could learn, create, and innovate by coming together in this unique format. While hackathons were traditionally reserved for university students, Mathstronauts reimagined the experience for younger learners, giving them early exposure to hands-on STEM innovation.
From 2016 to 2020, STEM Hacks returned to McMaster University each year, featuring brand-new projects and challenges while staying true to its core mission: empowering youth to build teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills under the guidance of inspiring mentors. (Read more below for details about each competition.)
In 2023, STEM Hacks expanded its reach, hosting its first high school hackathon at Ontario Tech University — marking an exciting new chapter in the event’s growth and impact.
Today, STEM Hacks continues to thrive, attracting students, parents, and partners from across the province who share a passion for innovation, collaboration, and the limitless possibilities of STEM.
A total of 135 students from Durham District School Board competed in the 6th STEM Hacks at Ontario Tech University, showcasing their Python coding and STEM skills and knowledge. As part of the Regional Future Workforce (RFW) Program by the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Centre. The core focus of this year’s competition was an autonomous vehicle challenge. High school students applied introductory machine learning principles using a pre-trained machine learning model to classify traffic signs. Their task included writing a control algorithm to navigate an autonomous vehicle based on the detected traffic signs.Â
225 participants in grades 7-8 tackled two exciting challenges at McMaster University. In the Hands-on Hack, students designed and built Balsa wood airplanes to test aerodynamics and forces, aiming for the farthest glide and safest landing. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge tasked participants with creating miniature home security systems using Arduino coding, sensors, and LED alerts to detect fire, flood, and break-ins.Â
At STEM Hacks 2019, 205 participants tackled two exciting challenges at McMaster University. In the Hands-on Hack, students designed and built two-speed gearboxes for cars using Knex pieces, applying gear ratio calculations to optimize performance. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge focused on autonomous vehicles, where participants coded simulated cars with advanced features like emergency braking, lane keep assist, and adaptive lane changing.
175 middle schoolers gathered at McMaster University to tackle two sustainability-focused challenges. In the Hands-on Hack, students designed and built wind turbines, exploring renewable energy, energy conversion, and electromagnetic induction. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge simulated the effects of climate change in a model city, demonstrating the benefits of renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels in mitigating pollution, sea level rise, and flooding, highlighting the importance of environmentally friendly alternatives.
The 2nd annual STEM Hacks competition drew 145 participants, who tackled two exciting challenges at McMaster University. In the Hands-on Hack, grades 7-8 students designed, built, and tested Balsa wood airplanes to optimize aerodynamics and forces, powering their creations with rubber bands and propellers. Meanwhile, the Coding Challenge focused on building an autonomous parking lot system using laser sensors, 3D printing, and C++ programming, where students designed and coded a functional system to track parking spots and vehicle entries.
Previous Sponsors and Partners
STEM Hacks is possible thanks to the generous contributions from the following sponsors:
