Hack the North, Canada’s largest student-led hackathon, welcomed more than 1000 student hackers to the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Engineering for its annual event of intense innovation.
A marquee event on any serious hackers' calendar, Hack the North 2025 pulled out all the stops to deliver a memorable experience of 36 hours of playful, creative and collaborative builds. And they broke a Guinness World Record!
The hackathon kicked off with a communal activity to break the Guinness World Record for the most people in a single venue building interlocking plastic brick sculptures simultaneously. People tackled the challenge with gusto and broke the record with much cheering.
Headlining the event was keynote speaker Amjad Masad, CEO of Replit, the software creation platform that makes app-building easy, a much-used tool among hackers.
After 12 successful events, Hack the North remains proudly student-run and focused on giving builders a weekend of unfettered creativity supported by mentors, industry partners and the world-class facilities of Waterloo Engineering.
“It’s simple really, bring together curious people, give them the space and tools to create, leave the brief wide open, and make it fun,” Ian Korovinsky, Hack the North co-director and Waterloo Engineering student, said.
“Hack the North is where first-time hackers and seasoned builders share tables — and where projects can start as a joke on Friday and turn into a demo that wows a tech leader by Sunday.”
Go to Making hackathons fun again and breaking a Guinness World Record for the full story.