Innevation Center Makerthon

The Makerthon will be held in the Innevation Center Makerspace. The Innevation Center is approximately two miles south of the University’s main campus. The address is 450 Sinclair St., Reno, NV, 89501.

The event will start at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 24 and all product fabrication will stop at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. Teams are allowed to stay in the building until 1 a.m. each night. When a participant leaves at any point during a build period, they are not permitted to return until 6 a.m. the following morning when the next build period begins. Participants are not allowed to sleep on the property during the event.

Participants must also attend one of two pre-event briefings which will be held prior to the event. One briefing will be held during the tour of the Click Bond facility. For those unable to attend the tour a second date will be scheduled once participants are selected. If a participant is under the age of 18 a parent or guardian must be present for the pre-event briefing.

Students from the University of Nevada, Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College, Western Nevada College or any Reno area high schools are eligible to apply. All applicants must be at least 16 years or older to apply.

All participants must be at least 16 years old to participate in the event. For participants under the age of 18 there are some additional considerations. Minor participants who wish to drive themselves to and from the event must leave the event each night by 9:30 p.m. Minors leaving the event after 9:30 p.m. or not driving themselves must be signed out by a parent or guardian.

All applicants must apply as a team and can range in size from two to six members.

There will be up to five teams participating in the competition. Teams will represent local high schools, local community colleges, and the University of Nevada, Reno.

Teams will be selected based on their collective interest and eagerness to participate in the competition. Teams will be selected by a review panel based on the submitted applications. A short interview may be requested with applicants before making a final decision.

Absolutely not! You do not need to have any experience with making, building, or engineering. Bring your creativity and a desire to problem solve. There will be mentors available to assist with the building of your prototype.  

There is no fee to compete or apply.

While only students are eligible to compete, we are looking for mentors to help guide the teams. Mentors can have experience in need finding, marketing, prototype engineering or pitching. If you are interested in being a mentor for the event please reach out to Liz Brown, lizb@unr.edu, for more details.

Applications will open on Feb. 6, 2026 and close March 13, 2026. All applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on March 13. Any applications received after the deadline will not be considered.