Consciousness Mini-Hackathon
The Sunset Ballroom Zone A (I–III) is set aside throughout the conference (except during the Monday–Thursday concurrent sessions, 5:00–7:05 pm, when it hosts a session) as an informal space for coding, tinkering, and exchanging ideas. Drop in whenever you like—between sessions, in the evening, or whenever inspiration strikes. This is a self-organized side event, not a competition. Think of it as a place to hang out with fellow researchers who like to build things.
Projects, teams, and progress are tracked on the hackathon site — register your project there and follow what others are building.
Go to the hackathon site →Discussion happens in the #tsc-hackathon channel of the conference Discord — post your project idea, find collaborators, or ask what is going on.
Discuss on Discord →New to the server? Join the TSC 2026 Discord first (the Discord page has the channel guide).
With AI-assisted coding tools like Claude Code and Codex, what used to take weeks can now be done in days. Bring your laptop, your data, your own AI subscription, and see what you can put together with others who share your curiosity about consciousness.
What Might Happen
There is no fixed agenda. Past hackathons have produced everything from EEG smartphone app to philosophical argument mappers. Some possibilities:
- Build something new — an analysis pipeline, a visualization, an experimental paradigm
- Collaborate on a paper — use AI-assisted writing and coding to go from idea to draft within the conference
- Exchange methods — show someone your workflow, learn theirs
- Just hang out — bring your laptop and work alongside others in a shared space
How much can I win?
Let’s get the awkward part out of the way: no money. Not a cent. (Potential sponsors reading this — we see you. Wink.)
What the winning project does get:
- Public recognition — announced at the conference, in front of people who will actually understand what you built
- A spot on this website — your project, with a link, on tsc2026.org for posterity
One project wins, and everyone on that team wins with it. Everyone else leaves with a good story and, quite possibly, a new collaborator.
No registration required. Bring your laptop, your data, and your own AI subscription. Facilitators will be present.