Hackathon meaning, definition, and key aspects
Meaning
Hackathons are events designed for collaboration to solve problems or identify new opportunities.
Definition
A hackathon is a competitive event where people gather to collaborate on any kind of project in a limited time.
Etymology
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Hack: In the nerds’ world, "hack" refers to the rapid development of a new software application or system, often with limited resources.
Marathon: a long-distance race that is typically run without stopping.
The word “ hackathon” was first used on June 4, 1999, for a cryptographic development event hosted by OpenBSD in Calgary, Canada.
Duration
- 4 to 72 hours, usually referred to as a classic hackathon
- More than 72 hours, usually called an innovation challenge
Types of hackathons
- Physical or on-site
- Virtual or online
- Hybrid
- External
- Internal or Company hackathon
Benefits of hackathons
Physical or on-site hackathons
| In-person interaction, networking, and collaboration |
| Engagement and immersive atmosphere, capable of lifting networking, creativity, and a strong sense of community |
| Creation of content and marketing material, such as videos and social media posts, for brand awareness and perception |
| Real-time feedback to participants from mentors and the jury |
| Team building and camaraderie spirit among participants |
Internal hackathons
This type of event is organised by a company, inviting its employees and, sometimes, also customers and providers.
Most common benefits and goals:
| Boosting creativity |
| Creating new internal synergies |
| Encouraging cross-functional collaboration between different departments |
| Strengthening the teamwork |
| Promoting an innovation mindset and culture |
| Enhancing and accelerating problem-solving |
| Making the employees think outside the box |
| Accelerating process/product development |
| Generating new ideas |
| Retaining top talents |
| Acquiring the skills of the future |
| Raising workplace attractiveness and improving the company’s public perception |
| Receiving feedback from employees |
Virtual or online hackathons
| Global reach and accessibility |
| Flexibility of time schedule and workload |
| Lessened constraints of the maximum number of participants due to location space |
| Absence of venue, catering, transport, and logistic costs |
| Online hackathons are generally more sustainable due to the point above. |
External hackathons
This type of event is organised by a company, inviting selected and targeted external profiles.
Most common benefits and goals:
| Let relevant audiences test the company’s products / solutions / software / technology |
| Innovate a business, a process, or a product |
| Scout, find and hire highly skilled talents |
| Crowdsource new perspectives and fresh external ideas |
| Develop new apps, platforms, and software |
| Build awareness, exposure, promotion, and excitement around a company |
| Access, enter, and engage with new communities |
| Market research and validation |
| Accelerate the development of new products and services |
| Create new partnerships with other companies or organisations |
Structure of hackathons
A successful hackathon should incorporate the following key stages:
- Hackathon’s goal definition
- Registration, team formation, and hackathon platform flow
- Outreach campaign design
- Hackathon’s deliverables definition: the Hack Guide
- Ideation and hackathon preparation live sessions
- Mentoring structure setup
- Evaluation process definition
- Awards ceremony hosting
We wrote a full article about this topic that you can read here.
Considerations about hackathons
Hackathons are a proven method to get solid results in a fast way.
However, organising a hackathon is not easy, and it’s a matter of coordinating complex tasks.
If you want to know more, we created a comprehensive hackathon guide that explores this topic thoroughly.
If you want to learn more about how we can help you organize your hackathon, request a demo with our team today!
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