Innovation rarely happens in isolation. It happens when people with different skills come together to solve a challenge. That's the idea behind a hackathon.
A hackathon is a collaborative event where teams build a working solution to a specific challenge within a set timeframe. While hackathons first gained popularity among software developers, today's events also bring together designers, marketers, entrepreneurs, students, AI engineers, product managers, and industry experts to solve real-world problems.
Whether you're thinking about joining a hackathon or organizing one, understanding how these events work is the first step. In this guide, you'll learn what a hackathon is, the different types and formats organizations use, who can participate, and why hackathons have become one of the most effective ways to drive innovation.
At its core, a hackathon is a time-boxed event where teams build a working prototype in response to a specific challenge. Teams typically have anywhere from a few hours to a few days to go from an idea to something they can actually show, such as a working demo, a design mockup, or a functional proof of concept.
One thing worth clearing up early. A hackathon has nothing to do with hacking in the cybersecurity sense. No systems get broken into, no vulnerabilities get exploited.
The "hack" in hackathon means building quickly and creatively, repurposing tools, testing ideas fast, and getting to something real faster than a normal project timeline allows. It's less a competition and more a focused, high-intensity build session, even though prizes and rankings are usually part of it.
The term dates back to 1999, coined independently around the same time by a group of OpenBSD developers in Calgary and by Sun Microsystems at its JavaOne conference, both describing a short, intensive coding session.
Over the next decades, the format spread through the open-source and startup worlds, then into large tech companies looking for a faster way to prototype ideas outside their normal product cycles.
The well known, and liked, Facebook “Like” button was created during Facebook’s first ever hackathon, which goes to show just how impactful and long lasting the results of a hackathon can be for a brand’s functional evolution.
Today, hackathon events show up everywhere from university computer science departments to enterprise innovation programs, a long way from their developer-only roots.
The type of hackathon an organization runs usually depends on who it's designed to engage. While the format may look similar, the audience and goals can vary significantly.
Public hackathons are open to a broader audience, including developers, startups, students, and entrepreneurs. Organizations often use them to grow developer communities, encourage product adoption, and generate fresh ideas from people outside the business. They can also help increase brand visibility and attract new talent.
Internal hackathons are held exclusively for employees. They encourage cross-functional collaboration, giving teams the opportunity to experiment with new ideas and solve business challenges outside their day-to-day work. Many organizations use them to strengthen innovation and uncover ideas that can improve products or internal processes.
Private hackathons are invitation-only events for customers, partners, or other selected participants. Because attendees already have experience with the organization or its products, these events are well suited for gathering feedback, exploring new use cases, and strengthening long-term relationships.
While each type of hackathon is designed for a different audience, they all create opportunities to collaborate, solve problems, and turn ideas into action. Selecting the right one helps set the foundation for a successful event.
Beyond choosing the right type of hackathon, organizations also need to decide how to deliver the event.
Virtual hackathons take place entirely online, allowing participants to collaborate from anywhere in the world. They make it easier to reach a larger, more diverse audience while reducing travel and venue costs. However, organizers need the right tools and communication strategies to keep participants engaged throughout the event.
In-person hackathons bring participants together in a shared location, creating more opportunities for face-to-face collaboration, networking, and team building. While they often require more planning and logistical support, they can foster stronger relationships and a more immersive experience.
Hybrid hackathons combine virtual and in-person participation, giving organizations the flexibility to engage both local and remote audiences. This format offers broader reach while still creating opportunities for in-person collaboration. However, it also requires careful planning to ensure both groups have a consistent and engaging experience.
Each format offers its own advantages, and the best choice depends on your audience, objectives, and available resources. By selecting the right format, organizations can create an experience that supports meaningful collaboration and successful outcomes.
Today's hackathons bring together people with a wide range of skills and backgrounds. While software developers play an important role, successful hackathons thrive on diverse perspectives and cross-functional collaboration.
The strongest hackathon teams combine technical and non-technical expertise, resulting in solutions that are not only innovative but also practical and relevant to real-world needs.
Although every hackathon is unique, most follow the same general process from start to finish. Understanding each stage gives participants and organizers a clear picture of what to expect and how ideas move from concept to presentation.
Every hackathon begins with registration, where participants sign up individually or as part of an existing team. Organizers may also ask about participants' skills, interests, or experience to help create balanced teams.
Once registration closes, participants form small, cross-functional teams, typically made up of two to five people. Bringing together different skills encourages collaboration and allows teams to approach challenges from multiple perspectives.
Each hackathon is built around a challenge, theme, or problem for participants to solve. Some focus on broad topics like sustainability or artificial intelligence, while others center on a specific business objective or product.
The challenge should provide enough direction to keep teams focused while leaving room for creativity, experimentation, and different approaches to solving the problem.
This is where the majority of the hackathon takes place. Teams brainstorm ideas, divide responsibilities, build prototypes, and refine their solutions within the event's limited timeframe.
Many hackathons also provide mentors, workshops, or technical support to help participants overcome obstacles and strengthen their ideas before the final presentation.
When the build period ends, each team presents its solution to a panel of judges. Presentations typically demonstrate the problem, the proposed solution, and how the prototype works.
Projects are commonly evaluated based on criteria such as creativity, feasibility, technical execution, and the effectiveness of their approach to the challenge.
The highest-scoring teams receive recognition through prizes, mentorship opportunities, pilot projects, or other incentives, depending on the goals of the hackathon.
Some hackathons continue beyond the event itself. Promising projects may move into pilot programs, incubation, or mentorship initiatives that help teams refine their solutions and explore real-world implementation
Whether you're a student, developer, designer, entrepreneur, or industry professional, hackathons offer more than the chance to build a prototype. They provide an opportunity to learn, collaborate, and gain experience in a fast-paced environment.
Every hackathon creates opportunities for participants. At the same time, each one is built around a clear purpose defined by the organization behind it.
Hackathons do more than generate ideas. They create opportunities to solve problems, engage the right people, and turn promising concepts into action. Depending on their objectives, organizations commonly use hackathons to achieve the following:
A hackathon is most effective when it's part of a broader innovation journey rather than a standalone event. One simple way to think about this process is Learn → Prototype → Launch.
When viewed as one stage in a larger innovation strategy, hackathons become more than short-term events. They create momentum that helps organizations turn promising ideas into meaningful outcomes.
A successful hackathon doesn't happen by chance. Here are some of the factors that consistently contribute to successful hackathons:
✔ Clear goals – Define what success looks like, whether it's recruiting talent, encouraging product adoption, generating new ideas, or solving a specific challenge.
✔ The right type and format – Choosing the right audience and event format helps ensure the hackathon aligns with your objectives and creates the best possible participant experience.
✔ A focused challenge – Give participants a problem that's specific enough to provide direction while leaving room for creativity and innovation.
✔ The right support throughout the event – Mentors, transparent judging criteria, and meaningful incentives help participants stay engaged and produce stronger solutions.
✔ A plan for what comes next – The best ideas shouldn't end when the event does. Pilot programs, continued development, or implementation can help turn promising prototypes into real outcomes.
✔ The right management partner – Not every organization needs outside support, but for larger or more complex hackathons, an experienced partner can help streamline planning and execution.
Running a successful hackathon requires more than organizing the event itself. It involves managing participants, coordinating communications, supporting teams, and tracking outcomes throughout the process.
Since 2010, BeMyApp has helped organizations design and deliver hackathon programs around the world. Acting as an extension of each client's team rather than an outside vendor brought in for a single event. Every program is delivered fully white-labeled, under the client's own brand, covering the full arc from design through recruitment, execution, and reporting. A proprietary platform handles registration, submission management, and analytics, and programs run across regions, languages, and time zones.
Hackathons bring people with different skills together to solve real challenges within a limited timeframe. From choosing the right type and format to creating an experience that supports collaboration, every decision contributes to an event's success.
When planned with clear goals and a strategy that extends beyond the event itself, hackathons become more than a place to generate ideas. They become catalysts for innovation, helping organizations learn, prototype, and advance promising solutions.
Every organization approaches innovation differently, and the most successful hackathons begin with a clear strategy, thoughtful planning, and the right support.
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