I have awards from online hackathons based in the US. Do they count for EB-2 NIW?

They can, yes. In the EB-2 NIW, awards from hackathons, including online ones based in the United States, can serve as evidence of your technical ability and the recognition your work has received. What determines their weight is not the format of the competition, but what the award demonstrates about your professional distinction.

For that reason, what matters more than having the award is documenting it well. Show the context that makes it a meaningful recognition and not merely a recreational competition. It helps to gather:

• Details about the judging process, the evaluation criteria, and the level of the participants.
• Information about the organizing body and the reach of the event.
• What the result says about your skills and your area of expertise.

Because the case is evaluated holistically, these awards gain strength when combined with other evidence, such as publications, recommendation letters, and relevant experience. It is worth checking the updated requirements with USCIS and discussing with a specialist how to position these recognitions in your petition.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.