What is a hackathon

A Hackathon is an event where people(mostly hackers) gather together to intensively ‘hack’ on certain topics under time constraints, where the final projects are not necessarily refined and concept-proving prototypes are totally acceptable. As a mean of inspiration and innovation, a hackathon is very flexible and almost everything can be the topic and we have seen lots of great hacks in developer communities, schools and companies, like:

  • technical hacks on blockchain, cyber security, IOT, Web 3.0, repo bug fixing, ect;
  • cross-disciplined hacks on wearable devices, art installations, rural education, ect;
  • fun hacks on Halloween, Mario games, ect;

The Goal of a Hackathon

With the flexibility of hackathons, the goal of a specific hackathon can be quite diversified. The most commonly recognized objective are to build and to communicate.

  • ⚙️To Build - Some hacks are intended to discuss or resolve specific problems, like cyber security contests, Web 3.0 applications, repo bug fixing and so on, where we see a lot of brilliant ideas and prototypes being developed yet later grow into valuable companies and/or products.
  • 📢To communicate - Hackathons can also serve as a means of gathering talents and communicating. For innovative and passionate participants with solid technical skills, hackathons will provide them great opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities and projects, exchange ideas, make friends and find partners.