Hack Western’s Application: Decoded

Hackathon applications can be fussy creatures — we know that it can also be hard to understand what organizers are looking for. Here’s a breakdown of our application and some tips so you can submit the best possible application.

Tell us about a recent project you worked on — at school, work, at a hackathon, or just for fun!

This question is your opportunity to show your passion. We want to know that you would love to code during a weekend, can push yourself to build something new, and will add to the experience of other hackers.

Tell us about why that project was important to you. Was it the fact that it solved a problem lots of us face every day? Was it because you saw an aesthetic site come to life or that “aha” moment where you finally understood how VIM works? You’ve already told us about the things you’re interested in. Now, you need to show us. We want to be there to experience your excitement as you tackle challenging problems head-on.

And if you’re new to hackathons, don’t worry! Show us your passion for building things — maybe you wrote a play, started a club at school, or planned an awesome fundraiser. We’re here to help you learn, and we want to see that you’re excited to make something new!

What’s the next thing you really want to learn?

The theme for Hack Western this year is learning. We want everyone to walk away from Hack Western knowing that you’ve learned at least one new skill!

Try something at Hack Western that you’ve never done before. This can be working with hardware for the first time, creating a beautifully designed UI, or learning Javascript so you can make dynamic sites! Show us that you’re willing to get out of your comfort zone. With tons of mentors and hundreds of passionate creators around you, there can’t be a better atmosphere to try something new. We want to see you have fun with it!

Resume and Github

We’d love to see evidence of your technical ability. Show us that you can build what you’re envisioning. We also want to see that you really care about building your skills and will continue to do so at Hack Western. Don’t worry, we’re not expecting you to know a ton of languages and frameworks inside out. We want to know that you took every opportunity to learn as much as you can and to see that you put the skills you do have to use.

If this is your first hackathon, don’t have much coding experience, and want to learn more, we’d love to show you around! Tell us about why you want to learn, what you want to learn, and how you’ll apply your newfound skills.

Anything else you want to share?

If there’s something you feel like you’ve missed, here’s your chance to share. We don’t check off checkboxes as we read your application, so if there’s an important part of you that’s missing, then add it. If you’re funny, then be funny. If you told us about a recent project but it’s actually a project you worked on 2 years ago that had a huge impact on you, we’d love to hear about it. If you want to share your experiences at previous hackathons, sure! We’re open to anything.