Theme: Accessibility in Creative Technology

Creative tools have never been more powerful! But they can still be expensive, intimidating, inaccessible, fragmented, or difficult to master.

This year’s challenge asks:

How can we make creative technology more accessible and elevate artists through better tools?

“Accessibility” can mean many things:

• Making professional tools more intuitive and beginner-friendly
• Reducing friction in creative workflows
• Designing tools that support artists with disabilities
• Building assistive technologies that broaden who can create
• Creating ethical tools that augment human creativity rather than replace it

Participants are encouraged to build extensions to existing creative software, plug-ins, assistive systems, workflow tools, or entirely new software that empowers creators.

The goal is not to replace artists, but to elevate them.

Tracks

Track 1: 3D/CGI

How can we accelerate and simplify the 3D/CGI pipeline?

3D creation tools like Blender, Autodesk Maya, and AutoCAD are incredibly powerful, but can often be complex, time-consuming, and intimidating for new users. 

Build add-ons, plugins, or tools that:

• Streamline modeling, animation, rendering, or simulation
• Reduce friction in 3D workflows
• Make advanced tools more approachable
• Help artists create faster without sacrificing control

Track 2: Digital Content Creation

How can we empower digital artists to realize their creative vision fully?

Digital artists use tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, GIMP, and DaVinci Resolve to create stunning graphics, illustrations, or social media content, but many workflows remain manual, fragmented, or constrained by technical complexity. Enhance creativity, not replace it, by reducing the clash between imagination and execution.

Build add-ons, plugins, or tools that:

• Enhance digital art workflows
• Reduce repetitive manual work
• Enable more expressive or fluid creation
• Support accessibility and inclusive creative tooling

Track 3: Game Development
What parts of the game development pipeline can we accelerate or improve?

Game development is a multidisciplinary process involving design, art, programming, physics, and storytelling. Engines like Unreal Engine 5, Unity, and Godot provide powerful capabilities, but development can still be slow and complex. Help developers build, test, and iterate on games faster and more efficiently!

Build add-ons, plugins, or tools that:

• Improve development workflows
• Accelerate iteration and testing
• Support accessible game creation
• Help developers build games faster and smarter

Track 4: DIY Software

How can we build accessible, secure software that empowers independent creatives?

Independent creators often rely on powerful tools, but many come with trade-offs, such as high costs, limited transparency, cloud dependency, or weak data protection. In today’s digital landscape, creative work is vulnerable to theft, leaks, unauthorized access, and platform lock-in. 

Build original software inspired by the first three tracks that:

• Enables independent creation
• Protects creative work and data
• Support privacy and security
• Reduces platform lock-in
• Gives creators more control over their tools

Bonus: Best Cybersecurity Implementation

In addition to track prizes, SJHacks will feature a Bonus Award for Best Cybersecurity Implementation for projects submitted in Track 1 (3D/CGI), Track 2 (Digital Content Creation), and Track 3 (Game Development). Demonstrating innovation through:

• Privacy-preserving design
• Secure authentication or access controls
• Protection of creative assets/intellectual property
• Safe plugin/extension architecture
• Threat detection/misuse prevention features
• Security tools that improve trust for creators and users

Will be eligible to win additional prizes for their respective track!