Tips for Organizing Your First Hackathon: An Expert Guide
Hackathons have exploded in popularity in recent years as a way to bring people together to build innovative projects, learn new skills, and strengthen tech communities. According to Hackathon.com, there were over 1,600 hackathons organized globally in 2021 alone. If you‘re thinking of organizing your first hackathon, here‘s an in-depth guide to help make it a success.
Define Your Goals and Audience
Before you start planning the logistics of your event, take time to clarify your goals. What do you hope to achieve by bringing people together for this hackathon? Some common motivations include:
- Providing a hands-on learning opportunity, especially for beginners to gain coding experience
- Encouraging creativity, innovation, and rapid prototyping of new ideas
- Bringing together your local tech community for networking and collaboration
- Partnering with companies or organizations to solve real-world challenges
- Identifying promising projects and talent for further incubation or recruitment
It‘s also critical to understand your target audience. Are you focusing on a particular demographics, like students, professionals in a certain industry, or underrepresented groups in tech? Knowing who you‘re trying to reach will shape many aspects of your event strategy.
Choose a Theme and Format
Choosing a clear and compelling theme for your hackathon is a great way to focus participation and make your event stand out. According to an analysis by BeMyApp, some of the most popular hackathon themes in recent years include:
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Blockchain and cryptocurrencies
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Virtual and augmented reality
- Social impact and sustainability
Rather than just focusing on trendy tech, consider tying your theme to the unique needs and opportunities in your local community. Are there civic issues that technology could help address? Industries that are critical to your regional economy? Local cultural touchstones to celebrate? The freeCodeCamp group in Ourense, Spain hosted a hackathon focused on developing projects to promote the Galician language and support language learners.
The format and duration of your hackathon should align with your goals and constraints. If you‘re aiming for a more accessible, beginner-friendly event, a shorter 12-24 hour sprint may be best. For more ambitious projects with complex real-world datasets, you may opt for a 48-72 hour event. While in-person events are great for intense collaboration, virtual and hybrid formats have become increasingly popular. MLH, one of the largest organizations supporting student hackathons, is running the majority of its 2022 events online.
Plan Your Timeline
As a first-time organizer, it‘s essential to give yourself plenty of lead time. Start planning at least 3-4 months in advance of your target event date. Map out a timeline with key milestones like:
- Locking in your venue (or virtual platform)
- Confirming sponsors and partners
- Launching registration and promotional campaigns
- Ordering food, supplies, and swag
- Recruiting mentors, judges, and volunteers
- Testing your tech infrastructure
Buffer in extra time for the unexpected, especially if you‘re depending on external stakeholders. Consider aligning your timeline with the academic calendar or other community events to maximize participation.
Find a Venue and Sponsors
Unless you have a big budget to work with, finding affordable event space and sponsors is critical. Connect with local universities, tech companies, coworking spaces, and community organizations that might be willing to host or support your event. Look for a venue that can comfortably accommodate your expected participants (plus volunteers and staff) with reliable WiFi, power access, and A/V equipment. For virtual events, research platforms like Hopin, Airmeet, and Gather that are specifically designed for hosting interactive online experiences.
When approaching potential sponsors, emphasize how your hackathon aligns with their goals, such as:
- Recruiting talented developers
- Increasing usage of their APIs or platforms
- Generating positive brand recognition in the tech community
- Demonstrating social impact and community support
Provide concrete data on your expected reach and audience demographics. Offer tiered sponsorship packages with benefits like logo placement, speaking opportunities, mentor spots, and recruiting sessions.
Promote and Support Participation
To have a successful hackathon, you‘ll need effective promotion to recruit a solid turnout and support systems in place to ensure participants have a positive experience. Some key strategies:
- Leverage your partners‘ and sponsors‘ networks for outreach
- Promote heavily on social media and community forums
- Offer scholarships or travel stipends to improve accessibility
- Provide pre-event workshops and online tutorials
- Recruit experienced mentors to guide participants
- Use tools like Slack, Discord, and DevPost to facilitate communication and project submissions
At the hackathon itself, make sure you have friendly, knowledgeable staff and volunteers available to answer questions, resolve technical issues, and generally be a positive presence. Consider fun activities and surprises to keep energy and spirits high, even in the wee hours.
Celebrate and Follow Up
After an intense sprint of hacking, participants will appreciate the chance to showcase their work and be recognized for their efforts. Organize a concluding expo with time for each team to demo their project, even if it‘s not fully complete. Have judges provide encouraging, constructive feedback and award prizes for categories like:
- Best Overall
- Best Beginner-Built
- Most Creative
- Best Use of Sponsor API
- Community Choice
Take photos and videos to memorialize the event and share on social media (with permission). Provide certificates or badges for participants to add to their online portfolios.
Beyond the hackathon itself, think about how you can support continued engagement and impact. This might include:
- Helping winning teams develop and promote their projects
- Connecting participants with internship or job opportunities
- Offering follow-on workshops and events to keep building skills
- Surveying attendees and applying lessons learned to your next hackathon
By putting on a hackathon, you‘re creating a valuable opportunity for your tech community to come together, learn by doing, and make new connections. You‘re also developing your own skills as a leader and community builder.
While organizing a hackathon is hard work, it‘s also incredibly rewarding to see what your community can create in a short burst of focused energy. With careful planning, creative problem-solving, and a collaborative spirit, you can make your first hackathon an impactful, unforgettable experience.
Key Takeaways
- Start with clear goals and an understanding of your audience
- Choose a unique, relevant theme and appropriate format
- Give yourself ample time for planning and promotion
- Seek out sponsors and partners aligned with your mission
- Prioritize your participants‘ experience with support and fun
- Follow up to extend the impact of your event
- Embrace the challenge as a learning and growth opportunity
Additional Resources: