diff --git a/src/app/App.tsx b/src/app/App.tsx
index 1a777fa..9ed4bcd 100644
--- a/src/app/App.tsx
+++ b/src/app/App.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {Redirect, Route, Switch} from 'wouter';
 
-import {AppLayout, PageState} from './components/AppLayout';
+import {AppLayout, HackweekLoader, PageState} from './components/AppLayout';
 import {GoogleIcon} from './components/GoogleIcon';
 import {AdminAnalyticsPage} from './routes/AdminAnalyticsPage';
 import {AdminPage} from './routes/AdminPage';
@@ -17,7 +17,13 @@ export function App() {
   const session = useSession();
 
   if (session.status === 'loading') {
-    return <AuthState title="Loading Hackweek" detail="checking your Sentry account…" />;
+    return (
+      <AuthState
+        title="Loading Hackweek"
+        detail="checking your Sentry account…"
+        loading
+      />
+    );
   }
   if (session.status === 'unauthenticated') {
     const detail =
@@ -101,14 +107,21 @@ function AuthState({
   title,
   detail,
   login = false,
+  loading = false,
 }: {
   title: string;
   detail: string;
   login?: boolean;
+  loading?: boolean;
 }) {
   return (
-    <main className="authShell">
-      <section className="authState" aria-live="polite">
+    <main className={`authShell${loading ? ' authShell--loading' : ''}`}>
+      <section
+        className={`authState${loading ? ' authState--loading' : ''}`}
+        aria-busy={loading || undefined}
+        aria-live="polite"
+      >
+        {loading && <HackweekLoader />}
         <p className="kicker">Sentry #Hackweek</p>
         <h1>{title}</h1>
         <p>{detail}</p>
diff --git a/src/app/components/AppLayout.tsx b/src/app/components/AppLayout.tsx
index 05111a6..b7a4e90 100644
--- a/src/app/components/AppLayout.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/AppLayout.tsx
@@ -92,17 +92,41 @@ export function AppLayout({
   );
 }
 
+export function HackweekLoader() {
+  return (
+    <div className="hackweekLoader" aria-hidden="true">
+      <div className="hackweekLoaderTiles">
+        <span />
+        <span />
+        <span />
+        <span />
+        <span />
+      </div>
+      <div className="hackweekLoaderTrack">
+        <span />
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
 export function PageState({
   title,
   detail,
   tone = 'neutral',
+  loading = false,
 }: {
   title: string;
   detail: string;
   tone?: 'neutral' | 'error' | 'forbidden';
+  loading?: boolean;
 }) {
   return (
-    <section className={`pageState pageState--${tone}`} aria-live="polite">
+    <section
+      className={`pageState pageState--${tone}${loading ? ' pageState--loading' : ''}`}
+      aria-busy={loading || undefined}
+      aria-live="polite"
+    >
+      {loading && <HackweekLoader />}
       <p className="kicker">Hackweek</p>
       <h1>{title}</h1>
       <p>{detail}</p>
@@ -121,7 +145,9 @@ export function QueryState({
   children: ReactNode;
 }) {
   if (loading) {
-    return <PageState title="Loading Hackweek" detail="Loading Hackweek records…" />;
+    return (
+      <PageState title="Loading Hackweek" detail="Loading Hackweek records…" loading />
+    );
   }
   if (error) {
     return (
diff --git a/src/app/styles.css b/src/app/styles.css
index a2e3236..733e317 100644
--- a/src/app/styles.css
+++ b/src/app/styles.css
@@ -1496,6 +1496,13 @@ main {
   min-height: 100vh;
   background: var(--soft);
 }
+.authShell--loading {
+  overflow: hidden;
+  background:
+    radial-gradient(circle at 20% 15%, rgba(255, 112, 188, 0.14), transparent 28rem),
+    radial-gradient(circle at 82% 78%, rgba(117, 83, 255, 0.14), transparent 32rem),
+    var(--soft);
+}
 .pageState,
 .authState {
   position: relative;
@@ -1530,6 +1537,97 @@ main {
   color: var(--muted);
   line-height: 1.7;
 }
+.authState--loading {
+  animation: loadingStateIn 400ms ease-out both;
+}
+.pageState--loading {
+  animation: loadingStateIn 400ms ease-out 200ms both;
+}
+.authState--loading {
+  overflow: hidden;
+  border-color: rgba(117, 83, 255, 0.18);
+  box-shadow: 0 24px 70px rgba(78, 42, 154, 0.1);
+}
+.authState--loading::before {
+  position: absolute;
+  top: -8rem;
+  left: 50%;
+  width: 24rem;
+  height: 14rem;
+  content: '';
+  background: radial-gradient(circle, rgba(117, 83, 255, 0.1), transparent 70%);
+  transform: translateX(-50%);
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+.hackweekLoader {
+  position: relative;
+  width: min(13rem, 72vw);
+  margin: 0 auto clamp(2rem, 5vw, 3rem);
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTiles {
+  display: flex;
+  height: 3.4rem;
+  gap: 0.42rem;
+  align-items: flex-end;
+  justify-content: center;
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTiles span {
+  --loader-color: var(--blurple);
+  --loader-tilt: -3deg;
+  display: block;
+  width: clamp(1.35rem, 5vw, 1.8rem);
+  height: clamp(1.75rem, 6vw, 2.3rem);
+  border: 2px solid rgba(29, 17, 39, 0.12);
+  border-radius: 0.4rem;
+  background: var(--loader-color);
+  box-shadow: 0 0.3rem 0 rgba(29, 17, 39, 0.1);
+  animation: loadingTile 1.35s cubic-bezier(0.45, 0, 0.2, 1) infinite both;
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTiles span:nth-child(1) {
+  --loader-color: var(--dark-blurple);
+  --loader-tilt: -7deg;
+  animation-delay: -1.08s;
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTiles span:nth-child(2) {
+  --loader-color: var(--pink);
+  --loader-tilt: 3deg;
+  animation-delay: -0.81s;
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTiles span:nth-child(3) {
+  --loader-color: var(--green);
+  --loader-tilt: -2deg;
+  animation-delay: -0.54s;
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTiles span:nth-child(4) {
+  --loader-color: var(--yellow);
+  --loader-tilt: 6deg;
+  animation-delay: -0.27s;
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTiles span:nth-child(5) {
+  --loader-tilt: -4deg;
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTrack {
+  position: relative;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  height: 0.22rem;
+  margin-top: 0.7rem;
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  background: var(--lavender);
+}
+.hackweekLoaderTrack span {
+  position: absolute;
+  inset: 0;
+  border-radius: inherit;
+  background: linear-gradient(
+    90deg,
+    transparent 0%,
+    var(--pink) 28%,
+    var(--blurple) 50%,
+    var(--green) 72%,
+    transparent 100%
+  );
+  animation: loadingTrack 1.8s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
 .googleLogin {
   display: inline-flex;
   gap: 0.65rem;
@@ -2474,6 +2572,48 @@ kbd {
   }
 }
 
+@keyframes loadingStateIn {
+  from {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: translateY(0.6rem) scale(0.985);
+  }
+  to {
+    opacity: 1;
+    transform: translateY(0) scale(1);
+  }
+}
+
+@keyframes loadingTile {
+  0%,
+  100% {
+    opacity: 0.5;
+    transform: translateY(0) rotate(var(--loader-tilt)) scale(0.9);
+  }
+  38% {
+    opacity: 1;
+    transform: translateY(-0.72rem) rotate(var(--loader-tilt)) scale(1);
+  }
+  68% {
+    opacity: 0.72;
+    transform: translateY(0) rotate(var(--loader-tilt)) scale(0.94);
+  }
+}
+
+@keyframes loadingTrack {
+  0% {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: translateX(-100%);
+  }
+  25%,
+  70% {
+    opacity: 1;
+  }
+  100% {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: translateX(100%);
+  }
+}
+
 @media (max-width: 900px) {
   .archiveHero,
   .projectsHero,
diff --git a/test/app/LoadingState.test.tsx b/test/app/LoadingState.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..620a730
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/app/LoadingState.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import {render, screen} from '@testing-library/react';
+import {describe, expect, it} from 'vitest';
+
+import {PageState} from '../../src/app/components/AppLayout';
+
+describe('Hackweek loading state', () => {
+  it('shows the branded loading indicator and exposes its busy state', () => {
+    const {container} = render(
+      <PageState title="Loading Hackweek" detail="Loading Hackweek records…" loading />,
+    );
+
+    const state = screen
+      .getByRole('heading', {name: 'Loading Hackweek'})
+      .closest('section');
+    expect(state?.getAttribute('aria-busy')).toBe('true');
+    expect(container.querySelectorAll('.hackweekLoaderTiles span')).toHaveLength(5);
+    expect(container.querySelector('.hackweekLoader')?.getAttribute('aria-hidden')).toBe(
+      'true',
+    );
+  });
+});