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What To Expect At A Hackathon

So you’re finally doing it. You’re getting yourself out of the house on a weekend and going to your very first Major League Hacking hackathon. Congratulations!

A hackathon is an event that typically lasts for an afternoon or for as long as an entire week, where developers and laypeople work together to collaboratively build creative solutions to problems they have observed, generally in the form of software or hardware projects.

Hackathons have been happening for years. Did you know that Zapier, the workflow-automation platform that allows users to connect apps and automate tasks, was thought up during a hackathon in Missouri in 2011? Or that the global winter gift exchange, RedditGifts, came to life during Reddit’s annual hackathon in 2009?

The creativity and innovation present at hackathons are unmatched, and now you get to be part of the excitement! If you haven’t been to one, then you’re in luck! Here’s a general overview of what to expect at a hackathon.

Hackathon Schedule

The hackathon you have signed up for could take place at a myriad of places, but most commonly, you will find yourself on a school campus, in a corporate meeting space, or at a convention center, depending on the size and scope of the event.

When you arrive at a Major League Hacking-run hackathon, you can expect a few common experiences.

  • When you arrive on-site, you can expect to register for the event. Look for the line of equally excited people near the entrance.
  • The organizers of your hackathon – often partners of MLH or representatives from our team – will welcome you to the weekend and give you the lay of the land.
  • Your hackathon may have advice on Steps for a Successful Hackathon! Listen carefully and get ready to have fun.

MLH events are organized around the most important part of the day: Your Creations! So, once you leave the entry hall and theater-style presentations, you will spend the rest of your time working on teams to innovate and learn from each other. This is, in fact, where the majority of the hackathon happens.

After 24-36 hours of building your project with your group (more on that in a second), you will come back together to present your project to a panel of judges. The judges will review your code, test your product, and evaluate its success on a number of variables.

After judging, most hackathons conclude with a keynote from the judges and the presentation of winners and prizes. After that, you are free to go home. But know it doesn’t have to end there. Many hackathon organizations, including MLH, have virtual communities you can continue participating in via Discord and other social and community platforms. Be sure to sign up before you sign off.

Your Hackathon Group

No hackathon, Major League Hacking-run or otherwise, makes you go it alone! Hackathons are about group creativity, learning from each other, and collaboration. As a result, you will be building and learning with other people! It can be intimidating to meet new folks, but remember, everyone at the hackathon, regardless of their experience level, is in the same boat as you.

Most hackathons limit groups to a maximum of 4 people. You can expect to have a mix of experience, both in terms of developer experience and in speciality. What does this mean? You might be the most experienced person on your team or the person with the fewest years of experience. And you always have something to contribute and something to learn from other people.

Look forward to a groupthink mentality of β€œWe’ll figure it out.” Consider using the hackathon as an opportunity to try new things and processes. You never know what you might absolutely love.

Once you have your team and you’ve discussed what it is you want to build (sometimes this is the most exciting and time-consuming part of the day!), you can get started.

Here’s where the hackathon <> marathon analogy comes to life. You have 24 hours now to build. You can expect to work closely with your peers to create the most complete and workable version of your idea before Day 2 truly begins.

Good luck!

How Hackathons Are Judged

On Day 2 of your first hackathon, you get a chance to share your collaboration with a team of expert judges. After uploading all the details of your project to DevPost (so that judges can review all the project details and tech), you will have a short interview with the judges. These are often as short as 5 minutes. They might look at your code, or talk to your team about what problem your project solves for, who it’s for, and who will use it. Then, you get a chance to demo the result of 24 hours of hard work and see something come to life.

This piece of the puzzle can take time – at least half a day – before any awards are given.

During the closing ceremony, the hosts of your hackathon will recognize the most successful builds, teams, and collaborators. Prizes are awarded and can look like loot bags, gift cards, equipment, and cash. Every hackathon is different so don’t be discouraged or disappointed if the awards given don’t match your immediate expectation or if you don’t place as highly as you will in the future. We’re all here to learn and come away from the hackathon with new experience, new skills, and new friends.

The post What To Expect At A Hackathon appeared first on Major League Hacking News.

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