How to win a TopCoder Hackathon?
Hackathon? Something regarding hacking into data, manipulating it and threatening people? An event where you write a small script which brings down the firewall of NASA? or ISRO? Maybe SpaceX? Okay, Patanjali at max?
No!
You write a script to bring down Google.
Lol.
Let’s get a little serious, you are already into two cringe attacks per paragraph.
“A hackathon is a design sprint-like event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development, including graphic designers, interface designers, project managers, and others, often including domain experts, collaborate intensively on software projects.”
Meanwhile, let’s throw in some pictures.
Eye Candy? No?
Okay!
Will post some better pictures a few paragraphs later.
Now, coming back to the topic, what is the first rule of winning a hackathon?
The first rule of winning a hackathon is taking part in it. If you do so courageously enough without having a small drop of doubt inside you that you won’t be able to make it, believe me, you are 5% through.
It is scary. It is kind of an uncharted experience for a lot of people. They are scared, I was scared. But the thrill and the adrenaline rush which leads you to make awesome software is far greater than any of the above mentioned things💖
Once you have enrolled in the hackathon and if it is the type of hackathon where you need to be shortlisted, all you need to do now is wait for the release of the problem statement. Once that is also done, you sit down with your awesome teammates and start brainstorming the approach, the solution, the innovation. The WOW factor!
Okay, tiny brains? A little lesser IQ than 300? Don’t worry. There are 2 more categories on the basis of which you can still make it to rank 1.
UI/UX and the actual project implementation.
If you are making an app or a website along with the presentation, make sure it looks sleek.
It should look amazing but should also look usable. With minimal buttons and actions. It should not have animations and stuff, it should focus primarily on the business logic. That is what the app, the idea wants to happen. If your idea is an app which detects earthquakes, make sure the app detects the earthquakes, no need of showing animated buildings falling all over the screen. That part would suck. Suck real bad.
The project implementation part takes in the factor that you actually make a partially working prototype (partially). Judges get really impressed if the demo of the app does even a basic CRUD operation.
“Did you just send the value of ‘x’ to firebase? First prize!!!”
Well, all 3/3 things are covered. Good idea, Great UI, Working prototype.
Is that enough?
Not really 🙃
The final part which dreads even the strongest of souls is the presentation.
The PITCH.
A green top pitch with a lot of grass will have a lot of seam movement, especially if the pitch is hard.
I know, I know, I have a special place in hell. LOL.
So what are the top 5 tips to keep in mind when pitching?
- Don’t go into the technical details.
- Don’t convince the judge’s too hard, they are experienced.
- Don’t say “this” is all that you could come up within the small time span.
- Be enthusiastic about your idea.
- Do keep a business model in hand. They ask how you could convert the piece of software to a startup.
Having a flawless and to the point approach towards pitching always helps. Take it slow, have your time and smear the idea into the brains of the judges. Make them greedy of the product.
“So, Did you ever win a hackathon?”
Yeah, the one that was organized by TopCoder in September’2018.
Don’t stare at the picture for too long, might cause acute radiation poisoning.
I Ideate.
“Every once in a while, a new technology, an old problem, and a big idea turn into an innovation” — Dean Keaman
Looking forward to more hackathons and organizing a few.
Stepping into Manipal was like stepping into the proper developer lifestyle.
Code, Create and Innovate.
