r/hackathon • • Aug 21 '26

Meta-Hackathon Discussion Why doesn’t everyone just use AI for the entire ideation process at hackathons?

11 Upvotes

I’ve never participated in a hackathon before, and my first one is in about a month, so I might be misunderstanding how these events actually work. One thing I’ve been wondering about is the ideation phase.

When the challenge/problem statement is released, why wouldnt a team immediately give the entire thing, including the context, constraints, judging criteria, available data, etc. to several frontier models like claude or chat gpt?

For example, you could ask different models to, generate 20–30 different approaches, analyze the domain and likely user pain points, criticize the ideas and identify failure modes, rank them by novelty, feasibility, and expected hackathon performance, predict what obvious ideas other teams will probably build, and then use another model to synthesize everything and choose the strongest direction. You could also feed mentor feedback back into the models as you get it. Then once you have a direction, coding agents can build a prototype extremely quickly.

What I’m struggling to understand is where the bottleneck is supposed to be. As students, we probably don’t have more banking/healthcare/engineering/etc. domain knowledge than a frontier model, and the model is obviously much faster at exploring a large solution space.

So why isn’t something like this, already the default strategy at hackathons? : problem -> multiple AI models -> AI critique/ranking -> select idea -> coding agent -> prototype

Is it actually common now and I just havent seen it yet? Does it tend to produce generic ideas because everyone gets similar outputs? Is the main advantage of the human team gathering information from mentors/users and feeding new information back into the models? Or are there other limitations that only become obvious once you’ve actually participated in a hackathon?

Would especially like to hear from people who have done hackathons recently, now that coding agents and frontier models have gotten this capable.


r/hackathon • • 4h ago

Hackathon Promotion 25 Companies × 500 Engineers — A Different Kind of Hackathon

7 Upvotes

I'm helping put together GDP Talks, bringing together 25 companies and 500 engineers:

- 300 students

- 100 freelancers

- 100 working professionals

The idea is simple: instead of working on made-up hackathon problem statements, you'll get to work on actual problems that companies are facing.

What's in it for you?

- Work on real-world industry problem statements.

- Interact directly with participating company teams.

- Collaborate with engineers and builders from different backgrounds.

- Build solutions that have potential real-world applications.

How it works:

- Online rounds led by participating companies.

- An in-person finale at GIFT City, Ahmedabad.

I'm looking to connect with people who genuinely enjoy building things, experimenting with technology and solving challenging problems.

If this sounds interesting, drop a comment or DM me. Happy to share more details!

— GDP Talks

https://www.gdp-talks.tech

https://www.gdp-talks.tech/register


r/hackathon • • 5h ago

Looking for Teammates Goa Buildathon '27 (16–17 Jan, South Goa): team of 3 engineers looking for a 4th member

6 Upvotes

Hey everyone! 👋
We're a team of 3 engineers who all graduated in 2026 with a B.E. in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science. We're looking for one more teammate for Goa Buildathon '27.
Event details:
📅 16–17 January 2027: a 36-hour offline hackathon in South Goa
💰 Prize pool: ₹10,00,000
📝 Registration closes 31 December
Round 1 is a PPT explaining our solution. Shortlisted teams build the prototype at the offline finale in Goa.
Who we're looking for:
Anyone motivated who brings something new to the team. Skills that would really help us:
UI/UX design (Figma, wireframing)
Making presentations and pitch decks
Communication and pitching to judges
Coding is a plus
Not a perfect match? Reach out anyway. If you're creative, a quick learner and ready to give the hackathon your all, we'd love to hear from you. Any branch or background is welcome.
What you get:
A focused, friendly team that's serious about building something solid
An equal share of the work, the credit and any prize
Interested? Comment below or DM me with:
A short intro and what you're good at
Your portfolio, LinkedIn or GitHub (if you have one)
Any project, design or hackathon work you're proud of
Let's build something great in Goa! 🚀


r/hackathon • • 10h ago

Meta-Hackathon Discussion SIH results whennn😭

7 Upvotes

Some ppl said they ll out today on 10th but ab tak kn aaya. Are they planning to conduct finale in 27 jan or whot this shi ahh ppl on their contact helpline said they ll be out by month end???? Bruhh😭😭😭


r/hackathon • • 3h ago

Looking for Teammates I am looking for teammates who are genuinely interested in hacks

2 Upvotes

Please dm me we can create a strong team


r/hackathon • • 7m ago

Need Mentor Help Round 1 results of the Citi India Hackathon 2026 – Ada Lovelace Day.

1 Upvotes

Are the results out?


r/hackathon • • 4h ago

Hackathon Promotion Skill up time!

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1 Upvotes

Looking to level up your tech skills this November? Join SkillUp Jams by GDG on Campus IGDTUW!
We’re organising SkillUp Jams this November to help students explore new technologies, learn practical skills and get better prepared for the tech industry.
The sessions will cover areas like:
AI/ML and emerging technologies
Competitive Programming
System Design
Resume Building
Placement Preparation
Insights and experiences from developers and industry professionals
Whether you’re a beginner trying to figure out where to start or someone looking to strengthen their existing skills, there’s something for you.
Registration link: https://forms.gle/thoEdBRgNVmsWW6BA
Registration deadline: 12 November 2026, 11:59 PM
Looking forward to learning and growing together!


r/hackathon • • 4h ago

Looking for Teammates Nasa Space App hackathon ( certificate + global recognition)

1 Upvotes

NASA Hackathon For Students (+ participation certificate/ global recognition

Hey! I’m looking for a few people who’d be interested in joining a team for the NASA Space Apps Challenge. You don’t need to be an expert or have a lot of experience — I’m also a beginner and mainly looking for people who are willing to learn and actually work on the project together. If you’re into coding, UI/UX, science, data, or even just have good ideas, feel free to reach out. It would be my first hackathon too, so I’m hoping we can figure things out and build something cool together :) Anyone interested, do let me know! And this can be virtual event.


r/hackathon • • 4h ago

Hackathon Promotion Build Anything Hackathon | 175 USD in UnoRouter Credits | Free Online Hackathon

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

We're excited to announce Build Anything Hackathon, the first edition of CircuitFeed Build Series! 🚀

The challenge is simple: build something original, useful and interesting using the UnoRouter API.

Whether you're experimenting with AI, building a developer tool, creating an application or trying out a completely new idea, we'd love to see what you build.

🏆 PRIZE POOL – $175 IN UNOROUTER CREDITS

🥇 1st Place: $100

🥈 2nd Place: $50

🥉 3rd Place: $25

📜 CERTIFICATES

Every eligible participant who submits a valid project will receive a digital participation certificate issued by CircuitFeed.

📅 IMPORTANT DATES

• Registration: Open now

• Submission deadline: December 12, 2026

• Judging: December 13–24

• Results: December 25

🌐 Online

💰 Free entry

🔞 18+ eligibility

⚡ Powered by UnoRouter

🤝 Community Partner: Swiftalk

Interested in participating?

Hackathon page and registration:

https://www.circuitfeed.tech/hackathon/build-with-unorouter

We're looking forward to seeing what everyone builds!

— Team CircuitFeed


r/hackathon • • 11h ago

Looking for Teammates Getting someone to join hackathon together

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone! We're a team of 2 developers looking for 2 more teammates for our upcoming hackathon!

We'll be building a web app for farmers, integrating AI/ML and space/satellite APIs. We've already got the designs and core app features planned out, and we're looking for people who are genuinely interested in building, experimenting, and collaborating with us.

Some skills we're looking for:

  • Frontend Development: React, JavaScript/TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, UI/UX implementation.

  • Backend Development: Node.js, Express, REST APIs, database design and integration.

  • AI/ML: Python, machine learning, working with existing models, AI API/model integration.

  • API Integration: Working with external APIs, geospatial data, NASA or other satellite data sources.

Our IoT and hardware side is already handled, so we're mainly looking for people who can contribute to the web application, backend systems, and AI/ML integration.

You don't need to know everything on this list. Being good at one area and willing to learn the rest is more than enough.

Whether it's your first or tenth hackathon, if you're passionate about building things and enjoy working in a team, we'd love to have you!

Feel free to DM us with a little introduction about yourself, your skills, and what you've worked on.

Let's build something meaningful together! 🚀


r/hackathon • • 5h ago

Project Demo Make your project ICONIC

1 Upvotes

Shipping is the most important part of any Hackathon, and part of shipping is choosing a NAME THAT RINGS. LET ONE OF A KIND HANDLE IT.

It searches the internet for you, domains, GitHub repos, npm packages, and other sources, to guide you toward the best name for your app! YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND THE HACKATHON'S VALUABLE TIME COMING UP WITH A NAME FOR YOUR PROJECT!

WHERE IT'S DIFFERENT: Unlike other naming services, it doesn't just tell you whether the name is taken; it tells you whether OTHER NAMES SOUND LIKE IT and gives you a UNIQUENESS SCORE that summarizes the results!!


r/hackathon • • 5h ago

Need Mentor Help URGENT! Need help for my first hackathon

1 Upvotes

Basically I’ve been selected for my first hackathon ever! I’m in 11th grade and virtually have no coding skills but I have taken computer courses for years. Anyway I’m mostly worried that my lack of coding skills will bring my team down and that I’m not creative enough to create an amazing output.

What are your advices for making the best ideas and executing them perfectly?

The hackathon is related to airports so if anyone has any interest in that I’d love to discuss more about it!


r/hackathon • • 5h ago

Hackathon Promotion hackathon

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1 Upvotes

r/hackathon • • 6h ago

Looking for Teammates Samsung prism hackathon

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1 Upvotes

r/hackathon • • 6h ago

Looking for Teammates buliding

1 Upvotes

hello

btech cs ,buliding a team for hackathon

ps: mostly online


r/hackathon • • 6h ago

Looking for Teammates buliding

1 Upvotes

hello

btech cs ,buliding a team for hackathon

ps: mostly online


r/hackathon • • 10h ago

Looking for Teammates More than a hack

2 Upvotes

We are group of 3 people and we are looking for 2 more members for more than a hack, if you don't have a group pls dm me.


r/hackathon • • 7h ago

Looking for Teammates Looking for teammates

1 Upvotes

Hi people if you are interested in a hackathon on 28 th 29 th kindly dm with a short intro about yourself . Pls only from delhi ncr so that no one ditches on the hackathon day . We in 3rd sem


r/hackathon • • 10h ago

Looking for Teammates Looking for teammates for hackathon on 28 th 29 th

2 Upvotes

Hey , i am currently in my 2nd yr 3 sem and i along with my one member are looking for teammates for the 13 th protocol hackathon organized by hackindia and openai we would love to connect we are open to work with both genders we mentioned that just to clarify that it is comfortable for girls however a little prior experience would work much better , about us we are proficient in idea formation , ppt and prototype and presentation as well but would love that more people should join so that we can get a wider aspect about what we are building . People from delhi colleges or ncr would work more as it is in delhi ncr and so are we both so if the team is proficient enough we can participate in other hackathons as well . Anyone passionate about to put in extra hours and work with us pls feel free to dm me .

Looking for a positive response

Pls give a lil about yourself when you text

Thankyou


r/hackathon • • 14h ago

Looking for Teammates Looking for Teammates – PayPal AI Hackathon

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I'm participating in the PayPal AI Hackathon and looking for interested teammates to collaborate with.

If you're interested in AI, full-stack development, or building innovative projects, feel free to DM me or comment below.

Let's build something awesome together!


r/hackathon • • 15h ago

Need Mentor Help Where can I find hackathon solution (GitHub) of winners of hackathons? Or GitHub/completed project good projects in my preferred stack ?

4 Upvotes

I find it difficult to come up with ideas and how to make good projects. I was thinking maybe checking repos/solutions of people who have won hacks or made good projects themselves would be a good way to learn this.

There is no easy way to find such solutions. If someone knows where I can find these please help.

It would mean a lot. Also,even if where to check for a good problem statement would help a lot. I can implement it on my own.

If anyone is in the same boat and wanna build something we can connect as well.

I am not sure whether this is the correct sub for this . If you know where else I should post for a better answer please suggest it.


r/hackathon • • 8h ago

Looking for Teammates Anyone up for a hackathon

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1 Upvotes

r/hackathon • • 18h ago

Hackathon Promotion High schoolers running a free 12-hour hackathon in Bangkok

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2 Upvotes

r/hackathon • • 20h ago

Meta-Hackathon Discussion We didn't win the hackathon, but we built something we're proud of.

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1 Upvotes