We built hardware challenges for Serbian national CTF... twice. Building a good hardware challenge is a balancing act between security, education, creativity, and logistics. The talk follows the entire process, from the initial idea and vulnerability selection to hardware and challenge design, storytelling, participant experience, manufacturing, and deployment at the competition.

Technical level: Beginner/Intermediate. No prior hardware security experience or preparation is required. The talk is intended for anyone interested in hardware, embedded systems, cybersecurity, or CTF challenge design.