Written by Rohan Shetty, JAMHacks V Organizer
Attending multiple hackathons can be confusing, especially if they all have different judging criteria. It’s difficult to know what each hackathon is looking for in a winning project. However, one thing I’ve learned from attending numerous hackathons is that your project needs to stand out. An attention-grabbing hack can be the difference between a decent project and one that actually wins prizes.
It’s important to note that JAMHacks is a beginner-friendly hackathon, and all types of high school hackers are welcome. For that reason, these tips will focus more on the logistics of the project, rather than the code itself. Here are the top 3 things you can do to make your hack stand out:
Polish it up
While most hackathons typically look for technicality as one of their judging criteria, and a technically impressive command-line project may be interesting, it may not stand out to our judges. One thing, however, that is guaranteed to get your hack noticed is a level of polish.
One quick way this can be done is by creating a nice GUI for your program. Having a user interface greatly increases the appeal of your project because it seems more marketable. Even a simple GUI with a couple of colours makes your project far more appealing!
Another thing I like to do to increase the marketability of my projects is to make it user-friendly. By fixing bugs and making my hack available to the judges to try, you help your project stand out and it will appear much more polished. If you have a web-based project, try hosting it on a server; if your hack is made for desktop, try packaging it into an executable. Allowing the judges to test your project themselves is important because it stays true to a traditional hackathon.
An outstanding pitch makes an outstanding project
JAMHacks V is a virtual hackathon, so for the asynchronous judging portion, each team will have the opportunity to create a 3-minute video pitch of their hack which the judges will view.
This video is incredibly important in showcasing your project. Make sure to work on your pitch well before hacking ends, because time is limited and you will need extra time to edit and export your video.
One of my most memorable hackathon experiences was when my team and I put a lot of effort into making our pitch funny and attention-grabbing. The judges really enjoyed our humorous video, and we took home a finalists’ prize! The pitch is a big part of JAMHacks, so be sure to give it plenty of time and effort. You can follow the tips outlined in this blog post to make your pitch even better.
Avoid tech buzzwords
While “machine learning” and “blockchain” may sound impressive at first, it’s not required to implement these emerging technologies into your project in order to stand a chance at winning. In fact, including these technologies without proper justification may actually hurt your project in the long run.
I’ve seen countless examples of this at other hackathons, where teams built a blockchain to include in their project, without actually needing one. They did it simply to have the “decentralized” buzzword in their title. Judges can see through gimmicks like this, so don’t add these things to your project if they aren’t required, and definitely do not include those words in your pitch if they aren’t present in your project.
Also, don’t put too much pressure on yourself if your hack ends up not meeting your expectations. Some of my best projects were simple and didn’t involve too many features or technical achievements. Stay true to your hack, and show off what makes it unique!
Hackathons can definitely be a stressful experience for some, but by knowing how to make your project stand out from the crowd, you will have a much easier time with future hacks. Polishing up your project, focusing on the pitch, and avoiding buzzwords are three very simple things you can do to grab our judges’ attention.
Lastly, make sure to have fun during the hackathon by participating in some of our recreational activities. The hack itself is not as important as your experience and how you grow from it. Enjoy yourselves, and happy hacking!
