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mary_brandel
Contributing Writer

The ultimate hackathon survival guide

Feature
Mar 07, 201612 mins
Security

Veteran hackers offer advice on how to approach attending the contests.

Name a city, pick a date, and you’ll likely find a nearby hackathon, whether you’re in Des Moines, Iowa, or Yerevan, Armenia.

Major League Hacking lists over 100 hackathons held in 2015 at a college or university, while Hacker League lists an additional 200-plus hosted by corporations and other organizations. Some hackathons are virtual and conducted on the Web, and there’s even a three-day event that takes place on a bus.

If you’ve never attended one, however, it can seem like a daunting endeavor, with the all-night coding sessions, over-caffeinated attendees, pressure to produce under time constraints and the niggling fear that you’re not skilled enough.

But the advice from veteran attendees is to just do it – not only is there an event for everyone’s tastes, but the benefits of attending far outweigh the concerns and effort of going. Here are a few tips on how to gear up for and survive your first hackathon.

Know why you’re going

Although hackathons have been known to generate new features and functions for the likes of Facebook, and even spurred successful startups, those outcomes are rare and should not be the main reason for attending, says Joshua Tauberer, founder of Govtrack and a frequent hackathon attendee and host. In fact, while most hackathons end with a showcase of the work accomplished, the end product is not necessarily the main point.

“Organizations often bill these events as ‘We’re going to do something,’ but that’s not the primary benefit they have,” Tauberer says. “It’s great to accomplish something, but the biggest benefit is usually that people learn things, whether a new technology or skill, domain knowledge or how a particular industry works.” The fact is, the 24- or 36-hour timeframe of a hackathon is “simply not enough time to produce anything close to a working product,” he says. “I might put in eight hours of work on something, but it’s part of a bigger project I’m committed to beyond the hackathon.” Hackathons should be seen as a way to make real progress toward understanding and learning, he says, not creating a solution.

+ MORE: Online hackathon challenges you to fix world’s biggest urban issues +

That has been the case for Amit Desai, a software engineer at a large e-commerce company, who has been coding for 10 years and attended his first hackathon in 2013. Desai seeks out hardware-oriented events that concentrate on technology such as drones and 3-D printing. “In my day-to-day work, I would never get a chance to work on this stuff,” he says.

These events can also help IT professionals hone existing skills, says Asheik Hussain, software engineer at Intelligent Product Solutions. “Everyone uses the latest and greatest advances in technology, and it helps you keep up with the latest trends,” he says. Because his work at IPS is focused on designing next-generation products for clients, “hackathons make a lot of sense for me because they sharpen my programming skills and give me the chance to work with other best-in-class software engineers.”

Networking is another benefit, Hussain adds, especially at corporate-sponsored events. “They can be a great opportunity to land a job if you are able to impress the corporate sponsors with your hack. Most companies desire people who have a drive/desire to innovate and learn new ideas.”

Hackathons can also provide a concentrated timeframe in which to work on an idea, project or skill that you wouldn’t have the discipline to focus on in your day-to-day life, Desai says. Even better, you can pursue that idea with like-minded people who apply their own skills to the project. “You might leave the event with a basic wireframe for an application,” he says, which you can continue to work on or pick up on again at a future event.

Just as fame is not a feasible goal for attending a hackathon, neither is fortune, frequent attendees say. While the prize money can be substantial, Hussain and others recommend choosing an event based on your interest in the topic, not the award.

Don’t think you need to be a coder

While the prototypical hackathon attendee is a die-hard coder, people with skills outside the programming realm are welcome and even urged to attend. Other people who are valued at these events include industrial and user interface designers, artists, business-minded entrepreneurs, and people who are good at storytelling, presenting or product-izing a concept.

+ MORE: Hackathons: Innovative business solution or a breeding ground for future competition? +

“Hackathons are a great opportunity for designers and people with business ideas to collaborate on a project,” Hussain says.

Big-picture thinkers are also valued because they can help explain why a project is valuable to other people, whether at the hackathon or — down the road – outside of it, Tauberer says. “It’s important to be able to tell a story of what the product is, not just the functionality of the app,” he says.

Although some people form teams ahead of time, a significant proportion of attendees arrive by themselves and join up with a team. At an event sponsored by DICE in 2014, for example, only two of the six or seven teams had met previously. “The others didn’t know each other and built something unique and interesting,” says Manish Dixit, vice president of product and engineering at DICE.

Although it varies, many event organizers are very helpful about matching attendees with teams that meet their interests and need their skills. Such is the case at Code for DC, whose events Tauberer often attends. Be sure to formulate some ideas beforehand on areas you’d like to pursue, he says, whether it’s Web programming, data visualization or something else. “It’s important to know what you’d like to get out of the hackathon so organizers can identify which project you should join,” he says. Most hackathons start with an introduction or workshop that explains the proceedings or provides some background on the theme, which helps break the ice for newcomers, Tauberer says.

Even teams that were formed prior to the event are usually welcoming to new arrivals, although some may be reticent to share their ideas with newcomers, Hussain says. It’s not a bad idea, he says, to arrive with a few ideas of your own, based on the event’s theme.

If you plan to find a team at the event, make sure to arrive early so you have a good selection to choose from, Desai says. He recommends asking multiple people what they’re working on and specific questions on how they plan to go about it. If the person or team doesn’t seem to be much beyond the idea phase, he says, don’t be afraid to move on.

Consider how competitive you want to be

While the format of most hackathons is similar – introduction, hours of coding, demonstration of projects – these events vary in the degree to which they emphasize winning. At corporate events, the best project is usually determined by the sponsors, which might be looking for a solution or idea that enhances their product, Hussain says. Top awards go to teams that make best use of their APIs or tools. The prize – normally cash – can be nominal or range into the thousands for the top winner.

In some cases, once you split it with the team and factor in the tax, it amounts to very little, Desai says. However, he has also walked away with $3,000, at one event where he worked solo. If you’re intent on doing well in the competition, Desai says, be sure to take time to talk with the sponsors before the demonstration to let them know you’re using their API and even invite them to visit your work area; otherwise, with a very short demo time of two minutes, he says, those specifics are not always clear and can reduce your chances of being noticed.

Another way to gain an edge, he says, is to talk with other teams and make sure your projects aren’t too similar. If two projects are identical, it’s better to discover that in time to make a distinction and even find a way to make the projects complementary and not redundant.

At the other end of the spectrum, Tauberer says, some hackathons – particularly those that are not corporate-sponsored — include no prize at all. While a demo still showcases the work accomplished, no winner is declared, and no prizes are awarded. “For me, it would be very distracting to have a winner especially because accomplishing something that’s tangible is unrealistic in a lot of cases,” he says. “As an attendee, [a contest] is not what I’m looking to do, and as an organizer, it’s not what I’m interested in.” Tauberer also feels the lack of pressure and defined winners/losers introduces a more welcoming environment.

Dixit says the DICE event combined the best of both worlds, as it awarded an array of prizes that gave new attendees a chance to win something. “There are the professional hackathoners who want to go after the prizes, as well as the new people who want to figure out what their skills are or just get things going,” he says. “Creating an environment that is a level playing field for both helps you run a more successful hackathon.”

Prizes were awarded to teams that leveraged technologies that DICE provided links to, as well as DICE’s own APIs. Awards were based on a point system, with the top prize set at $10,000. “We didn’t force people to write to our APIs, but if they did, they were awarded more points,” he says. The competition was friendly enough that when three teams needed more time to finish, the others agreed to give them more time. “It’s the host’s responsibility that even though it’s a competition, to ensure it stays friendly,” Dixit says.

Understand the format, and get the details

Many hackathons are geared toward a particular theme or subject matter, but the degree of specificity ranges greatly. This makes it important to look into – and even research — not just what the theme is but also how closely it will be adhered to and how much you already know (or are interested in) the topic.

For example, Tauberer has attended events that were geared toward subjects such as mental health, food sustainability and “open data.” At the food-related event, “there wasn’t enough domain expertise to make sure everyone was occupied with a productive project,” he says. In contrast, at the open data themed event, the focus spanned from education issues to global poverty and was “at the extreme end of not telling people particular things to do,” he says.

The theme plays heavily into the hackathons that Hussain chooses to attend; “how cool is the idea?” he says. “Is it something you would enjoy doing?” Other format variables include how long the event is, whether there’s an entrance fee to attend, and whether anything you create will be considered your intellectual property or the sponsor’s, Hussain says. Most operate on the premise that you own what you make, but it’s a good idea to make sure, he says.

As for length, while most hackathons take place over the weekend and last between two and three days, others are held just on a weekend day. “There are some hackathons that are online where users can upload their projects, or some might be at a specific location, like at a hackerspace in an urban area,” Hussain says. Online hackathons tend to have many more contestants, he adds.

It’s also wise to check whether food will be provided for free or for an additional charge, as well as whether alcohol will be served or is allowed. The latter is often spelled out in the code of conduct, Tauberer adds. “For anything that would make you uncomfortable — whether it’s competition, intense time pressure or a high alcohol event – there are others that don’t involve those things. If they don’t say beer will be served, it will likely be more soda and pizza oriented.”

A last item to consider is how much technical support is provided at the event, as some hackathons offer mentors whom you can ask for technical help, Hussain says. At the DICE hackathon, for instance, support representatives roamed the floor, checking in with teams and offering help.

Prepare and pack your bag

There isn’t much to do in terms of hackathon preparation, but veterans do suggest becoming familiar with any APIs and tools that are being sponsored at the event, which are often provided beforehand. “At the first two hackathaons I attended, we spent a lot of time figuring out how to use the API,” Desai says. “It was a waste of time, especially when we could have looked at things like the authorization and authentication processes beforehand.” Hussain also suggests downloading any tools you expect to use. 

As for what to bring, Hussain suggests packing some snacks and energy drinks in case you need extra or want something more healthy than the pizza that will likely be served. A laptop, charger and headphones are also essential, as are any ergonomic equipment you prefer, such as a mouse, keyboard or monitor. If you’re attending an all-night event, you will also need a blanket and pillow or a sleeping bag for a quick nap, he adds. 

Desai also suggests bringing toiletries, jackets and a sweatshirt (in case the event venue is cold) and even an extra pair of clothes to change into for the demo.

Most of all, veterans say, don’t be afraid to give a hackathon a try. “There’s always the risk it’s not the right one for you, or that there won’t be a good skills matchup on the team,” Tauberer says. “But if the organization hosting it is doing things right, all it takes to get something out of it is to just go.”

Brandel is a freelance writer. She can be reached at marybrandel@verizon.net.