How College Students Are Tackling America's Housing Crisis with Ivory Innovations

Hack-A-House, a 24-hour nationwide competition gives students the chance to pitch real-world innovative solutions to address housing affordability across finance, construction, and policy prompts and a chance to win up to $6,500   

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As millions of Americans struggle to find affordable homes, Ivory Innovations is once again turning to college students for answers. The nonprofit academic center, based at the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business, is hosting its annual Hack-A-House competition, set for September 25–26, 2026. Registration for the event opened Aug. 3.

The 24-hour "hackathon"-style pitch competition challenges undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities across the country, to develop innovative, scalable solutions to the housing affordability crisis.

"The solutions created in 24 hours by college students can have a real impact in addressing a problem so many people face," said Abby Ivory, co-founder and president of Ivory Innovations. "The enthusiasm and innovation that comes from the students who participate in Hack-A-House is truly amazing and each year, I am impressed by how students can quickly identify real problems and propose thoughtful solutions. We're looking forward to the ideas and solutions students will come up with this year." 

Hack-A-House is free to enter and will be held both in person at the University of Utah and virtually, making it accessible to students at any institution. Since its inception, Hack-A-House has grown into one of the nation's premier student competitions focused on housing. The 2025 competition drew nearly 400 registrants representing more than 50 universities, with winning teams from Harvard University, the University of Utah and Oregon-based Willamette University, proposing solutions ranging from improved lending for first-time homebuyers to increasing affordable housing options in high cost areas.

Past Hack-A-House winners have gone on to see their innovative ideas come to life; Kit Switch, a 2020 winner, is now a construction technology startup that designs ready-to-install, modular interior products.

"Winning last year's competition changed my life and showed me that the ideas we're developing at the U, informed by real policy work and guided by our inspiring professors, can actually shape the housing conversation at the highest levels," said McKay Grange of the University of Utah. "Having my proposal reviewed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and industry professionals gave me confidence that student-led solutions deserve to be taken seriously. The housing crisis isn't going away and we need as many bold and new ideas as possible."

Participants, competing individually or in teams of up to five, will select one of three category prompts addressing different dimensions of the housing crisis (Finance, Construction & Design, and Policy & Regulatory Reform). At the Friday, Sept. 25, kickoff at noon, MDT, teams will receive their prompts and gain access to expert-led deep-dive sessions and office hours with industry professionals. All submissions are due by 8:45 a.m. MDT on Saturday, Sept. 26, with winners announced that afternoon.

This year's competition offers the most prize money in Hack-A-House history:

Category Winners (3): $3,000 each, awarded to the top team in each prompt category

Grand Prize: An additional $2,000, voted on by a live audience at the 2026 Ivory Prize Summit in Tempe, Arizona, on Oct. 14

People's Choice Award: $1,000, determined by public voting after the competition

New for 2026: The Think Wood Housing Innovation Award, an additional $500 award

All three category-winning teams will be invited to present at the Ivory Prize Summit, with travel and lodging covered by Ivory Innovations. Prize money is split among team members.

All undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to participate, regardless of major or field of study.

Hack-A-House is made possible with the generous support of Think Wood, JPMorganChase, and Zions Bank.

Media Opportunity

Members of the press are invited to attend this event in person at the University of Utah where interviews with participants and winners can be arranged. Free parking will be available.

About Ivory Innovations

Ivory Innovations is both an operating foundation and a nonprofit academic center based at the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business. Its mission is to catalyze high-impact innovations in housing affordability by bridging research and industry to support cross-sector solutions, providing recognition and funding for groundbreaking ideas, engaging a global student population, and contributing directly to the development of affordable housing in Utah and beyond. For more information, visit ivoryinnovations.org.

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SOURCE Ivory Innovations