How To Organize Hackathons & Coding Competitions

A hackathon is an event where computer programmers, developers, coders, and other technically skilled individuals come together to compete with each other to showcase their skills and find the solutions to a pre-defined problem statement. Today hackathons have become an excellent way for companies to assess the potential workforce and drive innovation amongst young minds. Companies all over the globe are using diverse hackathon ideas and themes to tap into the top talent, meet their recruitment needs, harvest knowledge, and promote the flow of creative ideas. These engagements have shortened the duration of the recruitment cycles and time-to-market cycles drastically.

It is evident from the growing popularity and use of hackathons/ coding competitions, that they are a reliable tool to tap into upcoming innovative talent streams and recruit them if and when needed. However, while organizing a hackathon may be the solution to many of your worries as an organization, conducting one without proper planning will only add to the list!

The benefits of organizing a hackathon or coding competitions are many, but none can be reaped unless you plan things to the last minute detail. Many hackathon ideas and events have gone to waste due to a lack of proper planning and application.

To make sure this does not happen to you, in this article, we provide you with all the information about conducting hackathons and coding competitions. Stay tuned till the end to catch glimpses from hackathons conducted by companies like Flipkart, Walmart, Juspay, Uber, Accenture, TVS Credit, Optum, Myntra, Ather, Agoda and AB InBev in collaboration with Unstop. 

The Need To Organize Commercial Hackathons

Organizations big and small are jumping on the hackathon bandwagon because they have realized that conducting these competitions/coding contests is a win-win situation. The sheer number of benefits put any and all apprehensions to rest.

Not only do you get access to top talent, but also get to build a thriving employer brand on campuses. A hackathon gives you a platform to access, assess and hire the dream team that will put your organization on the front page. Corporate hackathons also allow organizations to come to solutions in a shorter period of time while improving employee engagement.

Do Hackathons And Coding Competitions Help In Innovation?

Being able to ideate and produce quality solutions is at the heart of a successful and sustainable business. It is a widely accepted fact that there is little value in creating products that are brilliant but do not solve a purpose. So the bottom line is- we need quality products, and we need them now. But how?

The traditional processes of innovation, recruitment, product development, etc. all pale in comparison to the dynamic world of gamified engagements. These processes have served the purpose for quite a while, but it is time for us to explore new age channels/ methods that better suit the fast-paced and technologically evolving world we live in today.

This is the driving force behind entities coming up with unique hackathon ideas and turning to coding competitions to meet their hiring targets and goals. Hackathons/coding competitions bring together developers from diverse backgrounds/ skills and push them to come up with innovative solutions to predefined problems in a fixed time period. This consequently leads to the development of quality consumer focussed solutions, all the while speeding up the R&D process and minimizing the cost of innovation. You now have ideas and ideators that know for a fact what your organization is looking for. Traditional hiring processes will never put you in a spot sweeter than this.

Why Should You Organize A Hackathon?

If you are asking this question, it means you have taken the first steps to dive into the world of hackathons and coding contests. The primary reason why you should consider materializing that hackathon idea is the fact that they are innovation powerhouses that help you tap into the top and upcoming innovative talent. They sit you across the table with the innovator himself along with the innovation that your team has assessed. And while this is one of the most enticing outcomes of hackathons, it's not the only outcome. There are multiple other ways in which you can benefit from converting your hackathon idea into a full-blown event/ a coding contest.

For example, hackathons induce agility in the hiring process, that is, they help you assess the fabric that the hackathon participant is cut from, as against the traditional methods where you could only adjudge candidates on a select few things mentioned in their resumes. In addition, hackathons are inclusive of a wide range of participants. Thus giving you access to talent from different geographies, as against the traditional methods where the scope of access was limited. Coding contests & hackathons also promote multidisciplinary collaboration and are known to address the fast-changing consumer demands better.

Wait, there’s more! When implemented properly, a hackathon idea can help generate novel ideas, de-risk product development, build brand value, establish leadership, and help in building a community.

The importance of organizing hackathons cannot be stressed enough! So let’s dive a little deeper and explore the world of different types of hackathons, ideas, to-do lists, organization tips, etc.

How To Organize A Hackathon: The Basics

Here are a few basics you must take note of if you want to organize a smashing hackathon or coding contest:

• Setting Hackathon Objectives: Your first step in converting your hackathon idea into a real contest is to identify the theme of the hackathon. This means, that you need to zero in on what theme the coders will base their programs on. Deciding on the hackathon objectives is extremely important for your hackathon idea to work since it lays the foundation of the whole competition, and also impacts the results.
• Defining The Target Audience: The next step is to decide who your target audience will be, i.e. who you want to engage with via the coding competition. For example, do you want to target a specific team of employees or students through the challenge or make the contest open for all for a wider reach? Again your target audience will play a major role in the kind of solutions you collect through the coding competition/ hackathon.
• Deciding The Frequency: Organizers must also consider making a decision on the frequency of the hackathon, that is, if it's a one-off or annual, biannual coding competition, and so on.
• Planning The Logistics: Next comes the general logistics such as the venue, sponsors, judges, and prizes for the event. It's here that organizers need to take a decision on whether the entire event will be an in-house Hackathon (conducted internally), an external hackathon, or a hybrid and whether it will be conducted online or offline, etc. Working these details out is important for the smooth and efficient implementation of your hackathon idea.

The whole process of developing your hackathon idea and implementing it may take anywhere between 30-40 days. There are some other steps involved in organizing a hackathon, like promoting it, driving applications, brainstorming ideas, producing prototypes, etc.

Read ahead for a more detailed explanation of how to organize a hackathon, including tips for organizing a hackathon. You can also seek help from the team at Unstop to organize such hackathons and coding competitions. Many biggies like Flipkart, Uber, Optum, Myntra, etc. are already taking advantage of our team of experts, and winning the race by miles.

Now let’s have a look at two of the broadest types of hackathons conducted across industries- internal and external hackathons. In the sections ahead we will take you on a journey through the organizational process, benefits, success pointers, and checklists for a hackathon in detail.

What Are External Hackathons?

A hackathon as we know is a fast prototyping event where coders/ programmers/ developers of varied profiles and skill sets compete with each other to come up with solutions and/ or product prototypes, to a predefined problem statement. An external hackathon is when the hosting corporation engages people outside of their organizational bounds and banks on their collective talent. Sometimes, an organization/ host may also choose to involve people from inside the entity along with external participants. The framework and preparation method for the hackathon varies depending on the kind of hackathon idea one is working with, and also on the ultimate goals/ objectives. 

Benefits of conducting external hackathons

There is a reason why hackathons have become so popular in recent years. The primary reason is that they are the need of the hour. Irrespective of what you want--assess and hire top talent, build a talent pipeline, enhance your employer brand, crowdsource ideas, or develop a proof of concepts and find solutions to a problem--hackathons are the most effective way of accomplishing all of the aforementioned goals. The traditional methods of hiring, assessing, and engaging with talent have become redundant in today’s dynamic world.

If this sole reason isn’t enough for you to implement your hackathon idea, here are some other benefits of organizing external hackathons/ coding competitions:

Access a bigger pool of top talent:

External hackathons are open to people outside of the organization. Even though it is the host who sets the bound on whom to include, the reach of such a hackathon is usually quite vast. This gives hosts access to a wide range (in both quality and quantity) of talented programmers/ coders/ developers from all walks of life. This way the hackathon can help organizers streamline top talent from amongst all the participants.

Collect multiple out-of-the-box solutions:

Having access to a wide and diverse range of talent means the type of solutions you garner for the problem statement at hand will be more diverse. If you are looking for ideas or solutions to a problem these hackathons are the quickest way to collect quality ideas and find viable, yet out-of-the-box solutions.

Find the right workforce:

Finding the right workforce is one of the major pain points for companies around the globe. Such hackathons are perfect for engaging with the top talent and targeting the ones you think are most suitable for your organization. Many companies like Walmart, Flipkart, and Agoda have fulfilled their hiring requirements through such hackathons with ease.

Assess the talent, on talent:

Assessing an individual based on a list of qualifications isn’t the most effective way to adjudge talent. Especially in a world where many are already using alternatives like hackathons and coding competitions to upskill and upgrade themselves. Such events are the perfect platform for participants to show real skills, and for hosts to judge them for the skills they possess and not just for what's listed on their resumes.

Help participants hone real-world skills:

Think of a potter sculpting a vase on their wheel. They are able to take a lump of clay and mold it into a vase that will hold flowers for years to come. Similarly, external hackathons are an opportunity for you to not only recognize talent but also mold it to the shape you want for your organization. Through the mentorships phase, you can guide participants to learn more about how your organization ticks, real-world problem-solving skills, time management skills, project management skills, etc. These skills are essential for the talent to reach their full potential and excel in their work. In addition, such coding competitions are the exact medium for hosts to assess the extent to which participants adapt to these essential skills. 

Watch teamwork in action:

Michael Jordan once said- “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships”. And this holds true for all spheres of life, especially here. Hackathons usually require participants to form teams. This exercise helps hosts adjudge the team-building abilities of the participants, who also learn what it takes to build a strong team. For many freshers, hackathons are also a chance to get a taste of the corporate environment.

Both sides also see teamwork in action and learn from experience what works and what doesn’t. Hackathons present a rare opportunity where participants work in a competitive environment, while simultaneously learning the value of a collaborative work environment. 

Build a pipeline of the future workforce:

For most companies organizing hackathons can be a gift that keeps on giving. In addition to giving access to the talent needed at that moment, they also help hosts build a pipeline for future prospects. This makes it easy to fulfill future product solution ideas and recruitment needs. It helps build a creative environment, ideal for innovation. 

Build brand value along the way:

Irrespective of who you are- a group, community, institution, small business, or corporate biggie, hackathons serve as a PR and network opportunity like no other. Conducting such hackathons/ coding competitions can bring some much-needed attention to hosts, help build the brand image and boost the employer brand.

Note that it is important to plan your hackathon idea in a way that you can draw these benefits from the event. This is why it is important to properly plan every detail of the hackathon/ coding competition, and then implement them to the T. Listed ahead is a step-by-step guide on how to organize a coding competition for external users/external hackathon 

How To Organize An External Hackathon/Coding Competition

As must be clear by now, hackathons outperform typical innovation and problem-solving approaches by miles. If you too are considering organizing a hackathon, listed here are seven easy steps in which you can materialize your hackathon ideas:

1. Define the objective of the hackathon/ coding competition

The first and most important step in developing a hackathon idea is to define the objective. This is the foundation of the whole process. Some of the most common objectives hosts want to accomplish include- engaging with a mass of talented techies from different parts of the world, hiring the best talent quickly, crowdsourcing innovation/ ideation, developing a network/building a community, for marketing purposes, for employer branding, etc.

You need to set a single, well-defined objective for a hackathon on which you will base further strategy and problem statement. A well-defined goal provides organizational, planning, and implementation direction to the hackathon idea.

2. Defining the problem statement and target audience:

Once you have set a goal/ objective for conducting the hackathon, the next step is defining the problem statement and the theme on which you will test the participants. It is only if you know exactly which problem you're attempting to tackle, can you and your team plan the event around finding the perfect solution. Thus it's important to specify if the hackathon is an innovation challenge, a coding competition to test technical expertise, a combination of both, or something else entirely.

It is also important to decide on the range of your target audience. Many companies define their target audience by skills, qualifications, institutions, geographical location, etc. Depending on the problem you want to solve, and the objective you want to fulfill, decide on the reach of your hackathon idea through the target audience.

3. Preparing a detailed plan

After defining the main objectives and problem statement for your hackathon idea, next comes planning. You need to build a proper plan for the event. Here are the five major points that should be a part of your planning strategy:

• Choosing a format that best suits your hackathon idea and its objectives. There are three types of formats- online, offline, and hybrid. We’ll elaborate on these later on in the article.
• Based on the format prepare a list of infrastructural and operational needs.
• Define in proper detail and clear words, the terms and conditions for the event.
• Enlist a platform partner to implement the hackathon idea.
• Put together a workback schedule, in detail.

4. Design of the hackathon

Once you have prepared a plan to materialize your hackathon ideas, you need to start designing the event itself. Here are the steps involved in this process:

• Developing a dedicated platform/ micro website and registration management system with the help of the platform partner.
• Create a theme to coincide with your goal and organization's branding.
• Divide the challenge into appropriate rounds with specified time limits to draw the most input from participants.
• Establish the assessment & judgment criteria.
• Make a timetable for the hackathon.

5. Promote the hackathon

They say- “event marketing is the backbone of every really successful event”, so get right to it! Once your hackathon is all prepped to go, you must begin publicizing it. Attracting the right quality and quantity of participants has a significant influence on the outcome of any hackathon idea you have. After all, there won’t be a hackathon if there were no participants.

Develop an effective communication strategy that reaches your target audience, to promote your hackathon. For example, if you want to recruit college students, an outreach campaign to target institutions could be the best way to put your money to work.

The next step then is to create communication materials and choose the right communication channel. This includes press releases or email templates for outreach, as well as ad copy and images for an ad campaign. You also need to ensure that you have plenty of time to promote the hackathon and draw the crowds. 

6. Guiding and inspiring the participants

For your hackathon idea to be a success, you need to ensure that the participants are working to the best of their abilities. To make this happens, involve your internal business and R&D teams and engage them as mentors. The participants get a front-row seat to your work culture. And your internal teams, in turn, get a chance to view their work through the outsider's lens. These mentors play a crucial role in guiding the participants and nudging them in the right direction. Winners of many such competitive events agree that mentor feedback helped them refine their idea which ultimately produced the winning solution.

Mentors also help keep the spirits high if and when participants get demotivated or are feeling uninspired. This highlights the importance of selecting the right mentors and briefing them appropriately so that they have a proper understanding of the hackathon idea. You also need to ensure that the mentors you select can give dedicated time to the participants and thus manage the regular work deliverable

7. Make it fun

Dale Carnegie said- “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing”. Truer words haven’t been uttered. Ensure that your hackathon is appealing to the target audience and that they can enjoy themselves while working on the problem statement at hand. Remember, a hackathon is something that participants want to do rather than something they have to do.

These events allow programmers, designers, innovators, and domain experts to put their skills to use for competitive fun rather than just work. So give the audience what they want.

What Is An Internal Employee Engagement Hackathon?

Internal hackathons refer to those hackathons or coding competitions that stimulate new product inventions by internal/ existing employees. It's an internal event or a company hackathon that allows organizations to take input from their employees. Many industry-dominating companies known for their innovative teams such as Google, Whirlpool, Facebook, etc. conduct hackathons to tap into the existing talent pool and improve employee engagement experience. 

As the name suggests, internal hackathons are for employees, allowing teams to work together to create a proposal, produce a prototype, and propose ideas to the top management. Such competitions present an opportunity to step away from the fast lane of day-to-day workings and dedicate time to just ideate and create digital solutions. Hackathons are a gear shift and the pace is set for innovation and collaboration. 

Benefits of internal hackathons

Most industry leaders have made hackathons recurring events to make the most of these innovation programs and engagement strategies. Here are some of the top benefits of conducting such internal hackathons or coding competitions:

• Internal hackathons propel brainstorming and innovative ideation in host companies.
• They foster a maker culture, which is essential in today's tech organizations. 
• Since such hackathons/ coding competitions happen in low-risk environments, they facilitate the creation of out-of-the-box ideas by employees, who feel comfortable in the absence of pressure. This leads to sustained innovation. Did you know that Facebook's Like button, chat button, and timeline, were all developed at such internal hackathons? 
• Internal hackathons can also lead employees to gain funding and recognition for their ideas. This acts as a great incentive to promote innovation within the company and creates the perfect environment for collaboration.  

What are the typical objectives of an internal hackathon?

The primary goal is to develop high-value actionable business ideas and product concepts that can ultimately lead to viable products. In addition to this, an internal hackathon or coding competitions foster an innovation culture by encouraging idea-sharing, effective collaboration, and creative work motivated by a desire to achieve a common goal. This also makes it a great tool for talent management. 

It's a win-win situation for both sides of the coin. On the one hand, employees have a chance to explore technology, engross in teamwork, and exhibit their skills/ abilities outside of their regular job description. Corporations, on the other hand, have the opportunity to recognize talent, see dynamic teams being formed, collect vital feedback, gather innovative ideas, and improve the development process. 

How To Organize An Internal Hackathon?

The steps involved in developing an internal hackathon idea are the same as those followed for external hackathons. The only point to note here is that while organizing an internal hackathon the target audience is restricted to those within the respective host organization. Thus, some infrastructural requirements may also differ. For example, internal hackathons that take place offline need plenty of space. If you're working out of a co-working space, this is an infrastructure requirement you need to manage. 

The rules and regulations for an internal hackathon may also differ in comparison to external hackathon ideas. Lastly, since the external audience is not involved, instead of promoting the event externally, you need to focus on providing adequate internal communication. 

Stages of an internal hackathon

For most hackathons, the first stage is concept submission. Usually, this stage is either a 24-to-48-hour hackfest or a two-phase hackathon in which personnel from all levels of the business and its branches throughout the world, submit their ideas using an idea management tool. This stage might last between two and four weeks.

Then in the second phase, many companies organize an offline event. The aim of this event is to transform selected concepts into prototypes or proofs of concept.

Offline or Online: What's The Best Format To Organize A Hackathon?

As mentioned before, it is important to select the right format for converting your hackathon idea into reality. There are two primary formats, along with a middle way. Read on to figure out which mode fulfills your objectives:

Offline hackathons

Also referred to as an onsite hackathon, the offline format entails gathering participants in a physical location/ venue to be a part of the hackathon. Everyone, from hosts to participants meet each other face-to-face and works on the pre-defined problem in a closed setting. While this format makes for a great physical/ personal interaction, it limits the entries to that particular physical location/ geographical area.

This is ideal when hosts want more physical/ personal engagement and are not worried about limiting their reach to a certain geographical area. For example, when an organization is conducting an internal hackathon, this format might work well and improve the inter-company employee engagement experience.

Online hackathons

Online hackathon, as the name suggests, refers to the hackathons/coding contests that are carried out virtually. This format does not have any geographical boundaries and gives the hosts access to participants from all over the globe. Any developer/coder/programmer, from anywhere, with an interest in the hackathon and a working internet connection, can be a part of such an event.

Online hackathons/ coding contests are the perfect way to bring together experts from different parts of the world, collaborate with each other and come up with viable solutions or prototypes.

Hybrid or Two-Phase Hackathon

This is the mid-way between the two hackathon formats, i.e. an amalgamation of the abovementioned formats. In other words, a hybrid hackathon is when the hackathon idea comprises both virtual as well as onsite rounds. A lot of organizers conduct hackathons with an initial or a few virtual hackathon rounds, followed up by a final offline round.

Before you go on deciding which format of hackathon best suits your needs, have a look at the lists of things to be kept in mind when organizing either.

Organizing Online+Offline Hackathons: Things To Keep In Mind

While we have compiled a complete checklist (ahead) to make sure that you don't miss out on anything when converting your hackathon idea, there are some key points that are specific to offline/ onsite hackathons:

• You will need to find a physical venue to conduct this event. Look for something that's away from the cacophony, and also comes with locker facilities.
• The location should be such that the participants don’t have trouble reaching it.
• Also, the venue should be large enough to accommodate all the participants, devices, etc.
• The organizers have to ensure that there is a secure, stable, well-connected internet connection at the venue, with enough juice to power the whole event.
• Arrange refreshments and allocate proper break areas.
• Make sure everyone has easy access to WiFi (hand out cards and/or post signs with the Wi-Fi details).
• Keep extra laptops/hardware handy, just in case.
• Arrange for a power backup. Note, if it's a hardware hackathon, make arrangements accordingly.
• Make sure you have spare cables and USB drives available

Host A Virtual Hackathon: Things To Keep In Mind

Here are some checkpoints that are specific to online/virtual hackathons:

• The overhead cost you incur for an online hackathon will be much lower than the cost for offline hackathons, but you will have to make some critical arrangements.
• To begin with, you’ll need to find the right partner organizations. Partner with a management and organization platform experienced in handling such hackathons.
• There are management partners who help you plan every aspect of your hackathon idea.
• Develop a micro-website/registration platform where participants can register.
• Since this is an online event, you will need to create a lot of noise to attract the right audience. Establish a marketing strategy for your online hackathon idea to be a success.
• Again, given that everything is virtual you will need a proper proctoring protocol to ensure the validity of the registrations/ participants.
• Make arrangements for virtual interaction platforms, where participants can engage with the mentors and fellow participants if needed.

You now have most of the information you need to start planning your hackathon idea and make it a success. But you still lack motivation? To give you a much-needed dose of inspiration we have compiled a list of successful hackathons, have a look!

Hackathons Organized With Unstop 

We have a passion for hackathons and have partnered with many big names who share our passion. While the objective of these hackathons might have differed, one thing has remained constant, and that is, that all these hackathons have been a success and have provided the hosts with more than what they hoped for. Here’s a glimpse into the hackathons conducted by a few well-known names, in association with Unstop.

1. Uber HackTag 2.0

Uber has been at the forefront of innovation and has always believed in trying new ideas to drive change. This year, Uber conducted its second season of the HackTag which welcomed participants in any year of a full-time B.Tech./ B.E./ M.Tech./ M.E. degree across branches. The hackathon idea was split into 4 rounds. The first two rounds tested the participants on their knowledge of coding/ programming basics. The shortlisted participants worked on a theme and developed a prototype, in the last two rounds.

The microsite for the competition, on Unstop platform, garnered 14,29,947 impressions which is a jump from 4,38,106 impressions in season 1. The number of registrations also increased by about 40% to 34,671 from 24,372 registrations previously. Apart from the exciting platform provided by Uber HackTag, the hackathon promised a prize pool of INR 5 lakh to the top 3 teams.

2. Flipkart GRiD 5.0

Flipkart’s flagship engineering campus challenge, GRiD, provides students with the opportunity to test their technical knowledge and skills while finding solutions for real problems faced by the world of e-commerce. The latest season comprised four tracks with multiple rounds. In season 5, Health+ was added as a track for the first time. 

GRiD 5.0 was open for engineering students across departments from colleges in India. The first edition of the hackathon saw 6,737 registration which grew 24X times by the fourth edition to record 1,60,032 in the fourth edition. In its fifth edition, GRiD broke the record for the fastest 50,000 registrations for any engineering challenge. It also received 4.6 lakh registrations - a 2.9X jump from season 4. 

Check out the Flipkart GriD case study to understand how their hackathon ideas helped Flipkart expedite the recruitment process overseas.

3. Flipkart Girls Wanna Code

In 2018, Flipkart launched a hackathon Flipkart Girls Wanna Code (GWC) to tap into the pool of talented girl coders. The competition was open to participation from women engineering students enrolled in full-time programs across branches. The hackathon was spread across three rounds- an online coding challenge, GWC learning cohorts round, and the final round. The learning cohorts round took the participants on a journey of learning and development. Select students were also given a chance to get trained in industry-relevant technology skill sets with a curriculum developed by technologists from Flipkart!

Where the first edition witnessed registrations from about 283 teams, the third chapter conducted with Unstop saw a record count of 5,500+ registrations. The number jumped to 9,778 registrations in season 4. Through this hackathon idea, Flipkart selected talented girl coders who were then offered PPIs for full-time roles and internships at the organization.

4. Juspay Hiring Challenge

Juspay is a Payments Exchange that connects retailers, payment processors, and banks. The fintech aims to enable frictionless payment for billions of Indians and has partnered with multiple leading online enterprises.

The organization in collaboration with Unstop launched its own hackathon idea to search for coding magicians who can use FP to cast spells through their code. The competition was split into multiple rounds including- an online MCQ round, an online coding competition round, a resume submission round, and a final 2-day hackathon challenge round.

The number of registrations for the second edition nearly doubled to 90,561 from 46,181 in the previous season. The number of impressions on the microsite rose from 5,57,129 to 17,58,870 in the gap of a single season. Through this hackathon idea, the fintech sought to hire full-time interns for six months at a stipend of INR 40,000, with a possibility to convert to full-time positions with a compensation bracket of INR 21-27 LPA.

5. Philips Code to Care Challenge

A hackathon idea by Philips, Code to Care Challenge, aimed at generating ideas spanning all the facets of the healthcare industry. They wanted to find ideas that would ensure better healthcare facilities, improve the patient experience, and enhance healthcare staff satisfaction. With an objective to bring the best minds of the country together on a single platform- Unstop, they launched the hackathon into a prelims round, idea submission round, mentorship phase, and a finale round.

The hackathon idea was focused on reaching out to coders whose inputs could elevate the level and quality of care provided to everyone in the health continuum. The top coders selected in the final round were awarded a collective prize of INR 1.75 lakh.

6. Myntra HackerRamp

The e-commerce platform Myntra launched its own hackathon idea Myntra HackerRamp to provide budding engineers all over India with an opportunity to unleash their creativity and bring those ideas to life. The first edition of the competition was open to pre-final and final-year engineering students (full-time) from select campuses. In the next edition, the organization sought to meet its gender inclusion target by making the hackathon exclusive for female engineering students and called it WeforShe.

The coding competition was carried on in four phases- ideation, implementation, pre-finale, and grand finale. The candidates had the opportunity to showcase their talent and take home a pool prize of INR 1.75 lakh and grab exciting PPI opportunities.

7. Walmart CodeHers

Walmart--the world’s largest company by revenue (Fortune Global 500 list 2021)--established Walmart Global Tech India IDC in 2002 to cater to the world of retail technology. They launched their very first hackathon idea on Unstop in 2021 titled - Walmart CodeHers.

Team Unstop worked on every aspect of the hackathon idea, from conceptualization to execution to assisting in offer rollouts. Through this coding competition, exclusive to female engineering students, Walmart sought to meet its gender hiring mandates. The competition was divided into three levels- the MCQ challenge, the coding challenge, and the finale.

In the culmination of the fierce competition, Walmart hired 300+ talented female coders with a compensation range of ₹23-25 lakhs. They managed to increase the share of female employees from 35% to 56% with ease, all thanks to this hackathon.

8. Optum Stratethon

Organized by Optum, the world’s leading healthcare products & services innovation company, Optum Stratethon is a strategy competition. It has two segments, one for B-School and the other for engineers/ E-Schools. A hackathon idea is devised for the E-track wherein the participants are required to qualify online coding challenge round, and idea submission round before making it to the grand finale.

In the first season, Stratethon bagged 5,608 registrations, which rose to 19,110 in the fourth season. Moreover, Optum Stratethon Season 3 and Season 4 were organized at a global level in partnership with Unstop, open to participants from the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, along with India. 

9. AB InBev Maverick

The world's largest brewery, AB InBev, conducted Maverick - a hackathon idea that provided coders with a unique opportunity to leave an indelible mark on the business world. The coding competition was open to full-time engineering students and Ph.D./ M.A. students across branches from select universities.

Maverick 2.0 was split into two tracks, namely Bot-a-thon and Hack-a-thon. Each of these tracks spanned three rounds- quiz, idea submission, and finale. They also provided participants with special Masterclasses with mentors to help shape their ideas. The hackathon had a prize pool of INR 2.1 lakh and possible PPI opportunities.

10. TVS Credit E.P.I.C IT Challenge

E.P.I.C, TVS Credit’s annual campus challenge stands for Enrich, Perform, Innovate, and Challenge. This competition has multiple tracks spanning college students across departments/ branches. The IT challenge segment of the competition gives young students a platform to apply their technical skills and knowledge to real-life business problems.

The first season of the coding competition which was held in 2019, saw 10,918 registrations across three tracks. The number grew by 4x - to 40,301 registrations in Season 4 across four tracks. 

How To Host A Hackathon: The Complete Checklist

Here is a list of steps that you must follow to ensure that your hackathon idea/ coding competition is a success:

1. Proper conceptualization of your hackathon idea

The first step on the checklist is to prepare the concept to back your hackathon idea. This includes defining the objective of the hackathon, end goals, parameters to measure success, target audience, format, hackathon theme, defining the problem statement, and establishing a budget, and timeline. It is only once you have made these defining decisions, will you be able to move forward with the rest of the process.

2. Identify the management partner, mentors, and jury

Getting a clear idea of the objective, reach and other details of the hackathon will help you identify the mentors and jury for the hackathon. You also need to identify an organization/ management partner or platform to conduct the hackathon.

When looking for mentors and a jury, enlist individuals who have professional experience and knowledge in the field/ industry. They must have the proper technical knowledge to guide the participants and judge the quality of their solutions/ prototype ideas.

The management partner you chose must be able to provide you with all the technical support you will need through the life cycle of your hackathon idea. They must also perform the media management, marketing, outreach, assessment, etc. tasks properly.

3. Select a management platform and setup the hackathon website

Partnering with a good management platform is critical to the success of your hackathon idea. Ensure that your hackathon management partners provide a smooth user experience for both participants and the judges. The workflow for assessors and other executives must be smooth and automated.

The hackathon website will be the primary point of contact for potential participants. This is why the website should be attractive, easy to navigate, and provide visitors with all the information about the hackathon. Make sure to include a call to action, a link to the application forms, details of the timeline, prizes, eligibility & judgment criteria, and terms & conditions.

4. Define assessment parameters and judgment forms

The purpose of the hackathon is to assess the top talent from amongst the pool of participants. So, define the parameters to help your executives, mentors, and judges in assessing the participant's performance. It is best to predefine the criteria for score-based evaluation and build judgment forms for the same.

5. Marketing and outreach activities

One of the most critical factors in ensuring that your hackathon attracts the right quality and quantity of audience is outreach and marketing efforts. The hackathon visual/ creative must reflect the brand image and objectives of the hackathon idea. Put in place a proper marketing and outreach strategy that leaves no stone unturned.

6. Draft correspondence material

Throughout the course of the hackathon, you will need to send an array of emails and correspondence to participants. This includes- welcome emails, application reminders, confirmations, qualification/ disqualification emails, congratulatory emails, etc. It is best to draft all this correspondence material in advance.

Organize Hackathons: Factors Indicating Success 

Here are a few factors which will help you understand if the hackathon idea was a success, or not:

• The number of impressions your hackathon captures.
• A high volume of participation from your target audience
• A conflict/issue-free implementation
• Positive feedback from the participants.
• The popularity of the hackathon across social media platforms
• A high rate of ideation
• Getting a bank of high-quality, viable ideas/ solutions
• Concept proofs and prototypes of the highest quality

If you find that your hackathon idea hasn't performed well, go back, make necessary changes, and continue to reap the benefits of this approach.

Remember- learning, innovation, collaboration, and engagement lie at the core of almost all hackathon ideas or other such gamified competitions. We have stepped into a new age of hiring and engagement solutions with the growing use of hackathons, coding competitions, case competitions, and likes.

This post will serve as an introductory and guiding piece that compiles all the information you will need to convert your hackathon idea into reality. However, it might be a good idea to partner with an experienced hackathon life-cycle management platform to induce innovation and personalization in order to make the engagement successful.

Unstop is the platform that conducts all such employer branding & engagement experiences. Reach out to us at coffee@unstop.com to develop a hackathon idea, custom-made to help you tap into the Unstoppable talent.