Hackathons are very common competitions nowadays. These competitions generally last for 24 hours or more. After reading this article you will definitely understand what a hackathon is and how to gain maximum benefit from it. I also share some essential tips to help win a hackathon.

Does a hackathon suit you?

Hackathons have a very steep learning curve. Some people might find it uncomfortable to follow such a steep learning path. They might like to dive deep into understanding a system architecture which is very helpful when you are contributing to open source projects. Hackathons demand only two things, quick out-of-the-box thinking and high problem-solving skills.

Setting up a Team and a Team Leader

Hackathons are team games as one person may not have all the skills. It tests how efficiently the team collaborates to solve a problem. It's recommended to keep a team size of 5-6 members having a mix of people from every space of development like frontend, backend, UI/UX, etc. This group should unanimously choose a team leader who will direct and also become the face of the team. The main role of the team leader includes maintaining the goals and the path the team has chosen.

Choosing a problem Statement

Problem statements are lists of ideas or topics which are presented to the teams for them to choose from. Some hackathons provide a broad domain from which you have to formulate your own problem statement and work. The team needs to collaborate and discuss the problem statement that they would like to work on. Certain problem statements are totally out of scope. Any such problem statement or topic should be avoided because if the foundation is not strong the entire project will fall apart.

Appointing a Mentor/Guide

Hackathons allow an extra person to guide and mentor the teams. Depending on the hackathon teams can have individual mentors or a common mentor. If you are allowed to have an individual mentor the team should always opt for one. Once the team decides upon the problem statement they should find a mentor either from the problem statement domain or choose a person having practical knowledge and having a passion for participating in and winning hackathons.

Working efficiently with high proficiency

Small short-term goals will lead you up to the large long-term goal. Similarly, divide the problem statement into smaller problems and solve them semantically. Review the ideas and future of work from the mentor and find out unique ways to solve a problem. Try to document every solution and answer the questions like "Why this solution?" & "How this is implemented?". The team leader also plays an important role to check every requirement is met.

Presentation & Reviews

Every hackathon will have stages of review and judgements. Set up a deadline of how much work you need to accomplish before every review round. I prefer to have only one person generally the team leader from the team to represent and pitch in the idea while others tackle the questions asked by the judges. Having a positive attitude and trying to implement the judges thoughts would definitely fetch more points for the team. Even if the team fails to deliver the results but a good presentation can help to win. Showcase all the problems you faced and how it was solved uniquely with the help of document or ppt. Display the end result achieved first to attract interest of the judges and they show how it was achieved.

Finally participating in a hackathon will always increase your knowledge. Its a pool of knowledge where you interact with other developers for exchanging ideas and skills. It's an opportunity for all beginners to understand the industry demands and practice real time problem solving skills. The technology is changing rapidly thus these hackathons provides an excellent platform to revamp your skills for not only participants but mentors and judges.