The Make-a-Thon is, in essence, a hackathon for designers instead of coders. Teams of four to five people brainstorm, design, and prototype a device under time, material, and functional constraints.

The competition takes place over 30 hours (one weekend). Students will be provided with a challenge and will have three days to come up with an innovative solution to the given problem. During this time, they will have access to mentors who can guide them through the design process and assist them with CAD and other technical skills. They will present their design concepts to a panel of mentors and receive feedback, followed by a presentation to judges from industry and academia.