PatriotHacks x HackFax 2026, a Valentine’s weekend union

Over Valentine's Day weekend, two of George Mason University's tech communities joined forces to host PatriotHacksx HackFax2026, a collaborative hackathon and capture-the-flag (CTF) competition. Event organizers leaned into the holiday theme, joking that "we fell in love at first sight and became one!" The result was a joint event designed to bring students together for hacking, learning, and community.

In addition to the CTF competition, the three-day event featured workshops, panels, and networking opportunities with sponsors such as EY, AWS, Microsoft, Peraton, and Red Bull.

Cyber security engineering student Marcos Daleneyhighlighted the career benefits of participating in a hackathon. "It's a great resume builder," he said. AnuridhiGupta, an information sciences and technology (IT) major valued the industryexposure, saying she was able to speak with representatives from Amazon and Microsoft.

For some participants, the appeal of the Valentine's weekend event was the chance to build and learn freely while having fun. Gupta described the CTF challenge as "kind of like a treasure hunt."

Aryan Patelemphasized the creative freedom that hackathons offer, saying, "You can make what you want and learn the skills that you're interested in."

Senior IT major Alexa Mayerwas motivated to attend the hackathon because of the panel on women working in STEM hosted by Microsoft on Saturday. The panel's emphasis on soft skills and growth mindset broadened her understanding of what success in cybersecurity requires, she said. Sophomore management and information systems major in the Costello College of Business Lara Miran said hearing of panelists' journeys helped her imagine new futures for herself in roles such as product or project management.

By merging two student-run hackathon communities into one high-energy, holiday-themed event, PatriotHacksx HackFax2026 delivered more than just code and competition. It fostered meaningful connections between students and sponsors.