r/hackathon

im in my freshman year of college and have participated in multiple hacks but my team has only once been able to qualify for the 2nd round. here in india we first have a ppt submission online round and the selected teams qualify for the 2nd round be it a mentorship or the final pitching round. the one time we got selected, the 2nd round was on the day of our exam so we couldnt go and it was p complicated too so didnt make much of a diff. just wanted to ask, do people actually code by themselves in these hacks?

what we do is js take up an idea and do the prototype generation either by loveable or claude. we do know coding languages but not to the extent that we build actual apps solely by our own knowledge. the seniors here at my clg are p secretive ig? and not of much help? more or less, we dont know where we go wrong. do we participate in this stuff only once we are masters of our domain? backend/frontend/ etc.

i mean its been a year and we still havent been able to figure it out. we feel p dumb atp 😭
jsyk chatgpt says most code by themselves and its terrifying :)

What's your most preferred ai tool which you use during hacakthon to develop your project? I have seen people still using chatgpt to develop their project which is bad choice. List the tools u use and why u use that

those who are selected would u like to come as a team i am currently solo or someone wants me to be in their team(for delhi region only).

completely beginners are accepted even, i will also use Ai for this.

I am a second yr college student pursing btech cse from a tier 3 college, I can help with web development, in both frontend and backend, for frontend I use React and for backend I use Node/Express. I have NO hackathon experience till now, basically couldn't form a team. Looking for people who are interested to participate and win hackathons, I live in Delhi, so looking for peers from nearby areas having complementary skills and those could attend offline hackathons/events together :)

3 seats available

INR 1299/month

DM for more info

I’m currently looking for hackathon judging opportunities in 2026 (US or virtual).

I’m a Senior Software Engineer at a FAANG company. Over the years, I’ve actively participated in and won multiple hackathons.

My work focuses on building scalable data platform, distributed systems and applied machine learning. I’ve also been involved in mentoring and evaluating projects in technical settings, and I enjoy engaging with early-stage ideas and builders.

I’m especially interested in opportunities where I can:

• Evaluate innovative, high-impact projects

• Mentor participants and provide actionable feedback

• Contribute to developer and student communities

If you’re organizing a hackathon or know of any judging opportunities, I’d really appreciate a connection or referral. Happy to share more details if helpful—thanks in advance!