On Friday (10/25), this page will be updated with an Information Document for participants. Keep an eye out!

Techno Maniacs and Hippo Hack present

Code literally anything you want while enjoying food, bubble tea, and awesome prizes worth thousands in total! And the best part - it's totally free!

Featuring Yucoo Bubble Tea in Brighton + guest speaker Hosea Siu, an AI research engineer at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory!

October 26, 2024, 9am - 5pm. Location: Boston Public Library - Adams Street Branch, Dorchester.

Registration is open!

Register for BobaByte!

If you're working with a team, each member of the team should fill this form out so we can send you emails and updates.

Want to volunteer? Receive a free event T-shirt, free boba, and volunteer hours! Sign up here.

Have more questions? Feel free to email us at team@bobabyte.org.

Countdown to BobaByte

Ready for a bobatastic adventure of creativity?

BobaByte is an upcoming social coding event for students in grades 7-12 which will be held at the Boston Public Library Adams Street Branch on October 26, 2024. Everyone from newbies to experienced coders are invited! Projects will be judged on many categories, so everyone has a chance to win awesome prizes. Free food, merch, and boba will be served!

Open to all.

We'd especially love to see students who've never attended a social coding event (i.e. hackathon) before. We'll be offering numerous coding workshops and mentoring students as they code. There's even an award specifically dedicated to newbies!

A reputable team.

BobaByte is a collaboration between two organizations, Techno Maniacs and Hippo Hack. Techno Maniacs is a FIRST Tech Challenge team that was New England champion in 2024. Hippo Hack ran a successful hackathon in 2023. We're taking care of all the logistics - you just have to show up and have fun!

Everything's free.

Food, merch, and boba served during the day are all fully covered by our amazing sponsors. You can even get reimbursement for travel to BobaByte!

Amazing prizes.

Judging categories are broad and range from Fan Favorite all the way to Judges' Choice. There's a category for everyone! Top winners will receive all sorts of prizes, and everyone who shows up gets a free .xyz domain and month of Wolfram|One!

About the Team Behind BobaByte

BobaByte is run by juniors, seniors, and graduates of Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, MA. Both Techno Maniacs and Hippo Hack share a mission to bring a high-quality coding event to the Greater Boston area. We believe that with today's world becoming increasingly digital, it is crucial for youth to become well-versed in programming for success in the modern workforce.

Techno Maniacs

Aprameya Tirupati
Eddy Zhao
Rick Gnanasusairaj
Tanish Ghosh

Hippo Hack

Aiden Huang
Christopher Zhang
Michael Zhang

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who can participate?

Anyone in grades 7-12!

How much does it cost?

Free! Our generous sponsors will fund all merchandise, food, boba, and prizes. Hack Club's Gas Fund may even cover travel costs.

Who can I work with?

Teams of up to 4 people are accepted! You can make new friends when you arrive, bring your own, or work alone!

What can I make?

Code any project you can make within the eight hours of BobaByte! A video game, a webapp, a Scratch project - the possibilities are endless.

What are the prizes?

Prizes include gift cards, Arduino kits, gaming keyboards, boba plushes, mini drones, board games, and more! The top 20 students overall will receive the Wolfram Award, which includes Wolfram|One Professional for all students for one year. All participants will take home a free .xyz domain and a free month of Wolfram|One!

How do I win?

We will be giving out five awards: Fan Favorite, Judges' Choice, Most Technical, Most Creative, and Most Useful. For the Most Useful and Fan Favorite categories, you'll vote on which project wins the award! Judges' Choice, Most Creative, and Most Technical will be selected by the judges.

What's a hackathon?

A traditional hackathon is an event where teams "hack" (code projects) for a period of time, often 24 hours. These projects are then judged, and the winners receive prizes. BobaByte is like a mini-hackathon, but we especially emphasize the learning aspect. We will be hosting workshops throughout the day to help young people of all skill levels.

I've never coded before!

This social coding event is about teaching people how awesome coding is. Our high school programming leads, experienced in HTML, JavaScript, CSS, C++, Java, Python, and Scratch, can help guide you in the right direction!

Schedule

Tentative Schedule (may change based on unforeseen circumstances)

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM: Check-In

9:15 AM - 9:30 AM: Opening Ceremony

9:30 AM: Coding Starts!

11:00 AM: Bubble Tea (Boba) Serving Begins

12:00 PM: Catered Lunch

4:00 PM: Coding Ends, Presentations Begin

4:45 PM: Awards Ceremony and Wrap-Up

5:00 PM: Event Ends

Want to contact us?

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Email: team@bobabyte.org

Website Art by Mei Teng Shao

Website Designed by Eddy Zhao (with some help from Owen Wang!)