Social Impact BuildFest 2026 - UMD

What is BuildFest?
BuildFest is a weekend-long social impact build sprint where students use emerging technology to prototype solutions to real community challenges. It is designed to be welcoming, interdisciplinary, and hands-on.

The Theme: Belonging
This year’s theme is Belonging. We are inviting teams to explore what it means to feel seen, accepted, and connected, and to design experiences that support more inclusive, empathetic communities.

Who Should Participate
BuildFest is open to students from all backgrounds and majors. No coding experience is required. We care more about curiosity, collaboration, and thoughtful ideas than technical polish.

How the Weekend Works
Friday is for onboarding, ideation, and team formation. Saturday is for building your prototype with mentor support. Sunday is for presenting your work, receiving feedback, and celebrating what you made.

What You’ll Build
Teams will create early-stage immersive prototypes grounded in real community needs. BuildFest projects are judged less on technical complexity and more on design thinking, social impact, and creative use of the technology.

• Friday
  • 3:30 PM: Check-in opens
  • 4:00 PM: Welcome
  • 4:30 PM: Scenery tech intro
  • 6:30 PM: Design workshop
  • 7:15 PM: Team formation
  • 8:00 PM: Dinner
  • 8:30 PM: Creative brief development
  • 11:30 PM: Creative briefs due
• Saturday
  • 9:00 AM: Morning arrival + coffee
  • 10:00 AM: Scenery team check-ins
  • Daytime: Build time with mentor support
  • 4:30 PM: Pitch workshop
• Sunday
  • 9:30 AM: Final materials due
  • 10:00 AM: Presentations begin
  • 1:30 PM: Awards
  • 2:30 PM: Event close