HackFest is an Apple II programming competition held over the course of KansasFest every year and open to all attendees. The following archive of past HackFest entries serves as an example of the creativity and methods this competition inspires among KansasFest attendees.

Here are the rules for the HackFest 2012 competition:

1. Contest begins at 7:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 19, and ends at 10:00 AM CDT on Saturday, July 22, so that judging can begin. The winners will be announced during the Saturday morning sessions. Entries submitted late won't be considered. Entries may be done by individuals or teams; however, individual achievement counts. 
    
2. Three judges will be selected by the KansasFest committee to judge the competition; at least one of them will be available at all times, to provide assistance and judgement calls. At least one judge will be a non-programmer. 
    
3. Entries must be written entirely during the allotted time; no source code — printed or on any form of computer-readable media — may be used (although sample source code printed inside standard and acceptable reference materials is allowed), and the program must run on an Apple 1 (or clone) or Apple II model (or clone or emulator) present at KansasFest. The program may not require special features only available on a clone or emulator. It must be able to work on real Apple hardware. 
    
4. Any version of any development environment and programming language may be used; however, there may not be any libraries, header files, or macro sets used that aren't standard-issue for that version of the development environment or programming language. 
    
5. Programs can't require unusual additional software or hardware; it's up to the judges to decide what constitutes "unusual." The participant should ask in advance. The following lists are not necessarily complete lists of everything allowed; these are to be taken as "givens." If it's not on the list, please ask for confirmation. 
   
   Acceptable software:
   
   
   • System software
   • Development environment (no customizations)
   • GSBug
   • Nifty List
   • Marinetti
   • Exerciser
   • ORCA/Debugger, Splat!
   • DesignMaster, Foundation, Genesys, ResLin
   • Talking Tools
   • Spectrum, ProTERM, ANSITerm

   Acceptable hardware:

   • Apple II computer, monitor, disk drives, hard drives
   • Apple 1 computer or clone
   • CD-ROM drive, tape drive
   • Hard disk controller card
   • Sound card (speakers/headphones/etc)
   • Accelerator card (any speed)
   • RAM card

   Accepted reference material:

   • All official Apple reference materials (including manuals, technical notes, and file type notes)
   • Reference manuals included with development tools and software
   • Commercially-available reference manuals

   Any other hardware, software, or reference material needs the approval of the judges in advance. When in doubt, ask the judges. 
    

6. Programs can't take unfair advantage of system addons written in advance for the sole purpose of easing the work to be done during the contest period. Any extensions or other system addons used by an entry must have been released to the general public at least three months prior to the contest date. 
    
7. Entries will be judged on completeness, cleverness, and the somewhat vague "cool" factor. Entries don't have to be useful if they're otherwise impressive, and they don't have to be "finished." 
    
8. All entry programs are the property of the creator, and do not have to be released to the general public at any time; however, we hope that entries will be distributed by some means (whether for free or otherwise) when ready. However, entries may be described or discussed, including screen shots (where applicable), by the KansasFest committee for promotional purposes, or by legitimate Apple II community press.