This hackathon presentation kit is a starter guide with a few tips to help your mind navigate the hackathon process and ultimately increase your chances of winning.
Topics discussed in this guide are:
- Hackathon 101
- Team Up
- Choosing A Project
- Presentation Format
- Developer Tools
- Designer Tools
- Other Resources
*Note: Quickly access a topic by clicking on a topic link.
Here we go!
A hackathon is a competitive event that awards the winning team or teams for the best innovative solution to a problem. Like a race, hackathons have a time limit, challenging participants to transform their ideas into tangible projects. On the event's final day, all teams will present their projects to a group of judges — more on judging later.
Whether an experienced hackathon participant or a newcomer, this guide will help you plan, generate ideas, and develop your project for success.
Please get in touch with an event organizer or judge if you have any questions about these guidelines or need more information. They are available to ensure you have all the necessary tools to succeed.
Food for thought:
- Challenge yourself
- Build professional relationships
- Ask questions
- Learn
- Most importantly, Have fun!
One key factor for succeeding at a hackathon is assembling the right team, like your Avengers or Thunderbolts team. (no spoilers, I promise).
If you haven't already, join the event's forum or Discord group. Before the event, take the time to connect with potential team members to gain a competitive advantage.
Know their strengths and weaknesses, and see how you can complement each other's skills with your unique abilities. Everyone has a superpower ;)
For example, I am a skilled visual designer who creates sharp, pixel-perfect visuals. In that case, I want to collaborate with a developer who can translate my designs into a functional website or application. The same applies in reverse.
I will discuss choosing tools in a later section.
Make sure to engage your team as early as possible on event day. Begin with introductions, share your skills and knowledge, and then move into a brainstorming session. Feel free to use any methods or tools you prefer for idea generation, including colored sticky notes as part of your brainstorming toolkit.
Food for thought:
- Meet and greet
- Form your teams as soon as possible
- Grab your snacks and energy drinks
- Find a place to hack as a team and get ready to work
- And don't forget to have fun in the process!
Successful hackathon projects typically exhibit several key characteristics: innovative, well-executed, and relevant to the event's theme. Below are some practical tips to help you select the best ideas promptly.
Let's explore these concepts in more detail.
Select the industry
- Healthcare
- Environment: Wildfires, Natural disasters, Drought, Food Deserts
- Education
- Government: Local and or Federal Access to basic human resources
- Finance: Crypto Currency, Blockchain
- Security: Cybersecurity
- Supply Chain: Logistics
- Macro Economics: Small Businesses
Use the internet to evaluate new sub-groups within each industry.
Problem-Solving Strategies
Once you have chosen your desired industry or problem, it is time for you and your team to put your bright young minds together to find a solution. Please do not focus on how much it will cost, but do keep it in mind.
Step 1: Define and state what the problem you're trying to solve:
- Does the problem you choose need a solution?
- Does the problem need fixing?
- Does fixing the problem make an impact?
- How much of an impact will it make if you solve the problem?
- Include metrics if possible
- What human population or species will benefit from your solution?
Step 2: Provide applicable methods to your solution:
- Is your solution mechanical?
- Is your solution digital?
- Does your solution require various mechanical and digital components?
- How will your solution be utilized, by who, and where?
- Is this solution complicated or easy to use?
Iterate steps 1 and 2 until you and your team are confident that the information is adequate to develop a full-fledged presentation.
Food for thought:
- The easier it is to use, the better the outcome
- Less is more
- Choose a problem that resonates with you and team
- Don't worry about how much it will cost
Believe it or not, how you present your findings or solution to an audience, judge, or Venture Capital firm is just as important as all the graphs, metrics, and shiny, flashy bells and whistles. The story behind your solution can mean the difference between winning and losing at a hackathon and in the real world.
Brief Introduction
- What is your team name?
- Introdce the team
- Introduce your project
Problem
- What problem are you trying to solve
Solution
- Show how your solution will solve that problem
- Use graphics, website, or mobile application
Results
- Show the possible positive outcome of your solution
- Show metrics, numbers, graphs
Food for thought:
- Use any an all tools to help elevate your presentation.
- Present to win
These tools are free to use.
Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
- Github: https://code.visualstudio.com/
Cloud hosted (IDE)
- Github Codescpaces: https://github.com/features/codespaces
API Development
- Postman: https://www.postman.com/
Creating a slide deck or power point presentation
- https://docs.google.com/presentation/u/0/
- https://m365.cloud.microsoft/
- https://www.figma.com/slides/
- https://revealjs.com/installation/
- https://gamma.app/ai-slide-deck
Brain storm and Mind Maps for idea generation
- https://www.figma.com/figjam/mind-map/
- https://www.figma.com/figjam/brainstorming-tool/
- https://app.mindmup.com/map/new/1746480946707
- https://www.canva.com/graphs/mind-maps/
- https://www.mural.co/use-case/mind-map
- https://app.mindmapmaker.org/#m:new
For more ideas on how to visually present your project
- https://visme.co/blog/best-pitch-decks/
- https://pitch.com/blog/15-great-pitch-decks-from-successful-startups
This guide was created by Hack Mesa Judge: Josue Bustos
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Josue has over a decade of experience in software and application engineering, including Web, Mobile, IoT, Wearables, Cloud, DevOps, and Machine Learning. He now specializes in helping entrepreneurs create minimal viable products for VC funding acquisition.