Kent State’s second annual Fashion/Tech Hackathon will take place Jan 30 to Feb 1 in Rockwell Hall.

This is the first and only collegiate Hackathon focused on developing wearable technology prototypes in the nation, according to a Kent State press release. 

Beginning 7 p.m. Friday, students participating in the Hackathon will eat, sleep and work in Rockwell Hall until they perfect their inventions. 

Alex Parrott, a marketing assistant in the College of the Arts, said the 36-hour marathon competition requires contestants to invent a combined product of fashion and technology. The teams with the best project submissions will win a portion of $4,000 in cash prizes.

“I think it’s a major point of visibility and a good use for the incredible facilities we have upstairs (in the Fashion School),” Parrott said. “I think there are probably very few other institutions that Kent State is in, as a whole, to support this kind of thing. It’s kind of a perfect arrangement.”

The collaborative event is expected to draw in more than 200 students, researchers and business leaders from across the United States. The participants will compete against one another, as well as participants from MIT, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Duke, the University of British Columbia and 70 other colleges and universities. 

Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad, Fashion School, Liquid Crystal Institute, School of Digital Sciences, Department of Computer Science and the student organization Hacksu organized this year’s Fashion/Tech Hackathon, according to a Kent State press release.

The projects and awards will be presented between 1 and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Contact Kelsey Drumm at [email protected]du.