What is a hackathon? Tips for taking part and winning

A hackathon is an intense event where participants build a working prototype for a problem in a short time, usually 24–72 hours. Universities, corporates and ecosystem organisations run them, and many startups found their first idea and team at one.

Why take part?

• Test a new idea quickly
• Meet people with different skills and form a team; see our co-founder guide
• Get feedback from mentors and industry experts
• Prizes, incubator places or corporate collaboration

Building a team

The ideal team has three to five people with different skills: development, design, business and presentation. Form a team in advance or join the team-matching sessions.

Choosing a problem

• Pick a clear problem in line with the theme and any data or APIs sponsors provide.
• Prefer a concrete problem a real user has.
• Keep it narrow enough to demo within the time.

Time management

1. First hours: problem, user and scope; split tasks
2. Middle: get the main flow working
3. Final hours: code freeze, demo rehearsal and pitch prep

Adding features at the last minute is the most common reason demos break.

Demo and pitch

• Judges usually expect a 3–5 minute pitch and a live demo.
• Tell the problem, user and solution as a short story.
• One working flow beats many half-finished features.
• Keep a recorded backup demo for technical risk.

See our pitch guide.

What judges look at

• Importance of the problem and fit with the theme
• Innovation
• Technical execution and a working demo
• Business potential
• Clarity of the pitch

Afterwards

Even if you do not win, stay in touch with mentors and judges you met. If the idea is strong, validate it with customer interviews (guide) and keep building an MVP. Find upcoming hackathons and competitions on our opportunities page.