What’s Your Hackathon Trying to Accomplish?
I was recently invited to judge a hackathon and I was very disappointed when I saw what can happen behind the scenes. I was so frustrated that I took some time to write a rant and send it to the organizers. If you are a hackathon organizer or influencer please read this and think carefully about your greater goal.
Names have been replaced with tags
Hi {Hackathon organizer},
Thank you for inviting me. I enjoyed being back on campus and seeing the results of the kids’ hard work but I think they got a little short changed. As a participant in past hackathons I appreciate the effort, perseverance and passion that goes into even the most humble entry. Yes, it’s fun, but it also takes an emotional and physical toll. {Hackathon name} wouldn’t exist without them and they deserve thoughtful, insightful and honest feedback from the judges. That did not happen.
My team of judges self-organized. We had discussions about which entries were most deserving in each of the categories described in the (unused) scoring app. There was back-and-forth, some disagreement and ultimately consensus. We made a better decision because of the effort we put in. Other judging teams clearly weren’t trying as hard. Some judges flat out wandered off during the process. Because we were organized, the team from our room won handily. They might not have been the best team… I really don’t know.
There’s more… In the room I helped judge (room 4) there were two outstanding entries, {winning team} and {other team}. Both had created potentially viable startup ideas, had executed a convincing technical demonstration, and both deserved to be recognized. Because of the way the judging was handled {other team} never got to hear any of that. Heck, they didn’t get to hear anything. What would they have heard?
I recognize the tone of arrogance in what I’m about to say, but gosh-darn-it, it’s the truth…
Jonathan and I are in the business of helping companies grow. We work with start-ups, mid-size companies and even ginormous, international corporations (“Ginormous” must be a real word, my spell checker was cool with it). We help with market strategy, logistics, internal communications, external communications, and more. We also help those companies bring new products to market, rebrand existing products, and we get VC’s and startups in rooms together. My point is we had a lot more to offer these kids than a single up vote. I’m sure the same is true for many of the other judges as well.
Hackathons are fun. They provide opportunities to deepen friendships, practice teamwork and experience deep learning (usually on a single, narrowly focused topic). But, there should be a greater goal here. We had an opportunity to teach them some things about building better products and changing how they view their creative processes.
We could have put them in a better position to effect positive change in their lives, careers and communities.
Have you been to the Rice Business Plan Competition? Last time I went they identified approximately five “contenders” and brought them on stage for feedback from VC’s that all the attendees got to hear. Everyone heard what helped those five teams succeed in the competition and they also got to hear what those teams were lacking. It was a more effective learning experience for everyone involved and I think it was a really good model.
{Hackathon name} is a great event, I just want to see it get better.
Best,
Donovan Buck