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A brief introduction to the World on Hackathons! |
Hackathons are an incredible way to bring your community together to learn new skills, build amazing projects, and share ideas. A hackathon is best described as an “invention marathon”. Anyone who has an interest in technology attends a hackathon to learn, build & share their creations over the course of a weekend in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. You don’t have to be a programmer and you certainly don’t have to be majoring in Computer Science!
{% embed url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj4DQfYx2Hg" %} MLH Presents: What is a hackathon? {% endembed %}
If you're familiar with in-person hackathons and are curious about how the fundamentals translate to the digital space, we've outlined some of the key differences and our recommendations below:
| Event | Digital | In-Person |
|---|---|---|
| Check-in | Checkin using an online form | In-person check-in process |
| Opening Ceremony | Pre-recorded, watched on a live stream, viewable anytime | Live presentation, seen once |
| Workshops | Live-streamed, viewable anytime | Live presentation, seen once |
| Meals, Snacks, and Drinks | Hackers provide | Organizers provide |
| Mini-events | Online multiplayer games, trivia tournaments, and more | Cup stacking, trivia, video game tournaments |
| Swag | Shipped to hackers after the event | Hackers collect swag bag at check-in |
| Hacker Interactions | Via Discord or Slack across all attendees | Via Discord or Slack, or In-person with hackers nearby |
| Sponsor interactions | Hackers join office hours dedicated for the sponsor | Hackers approach sponsors at their tables |
| Judging | Pre-recorded demos submitted on Devpost, available to view after submissions | Live demos |
| Closing Ceremony | Streamed pre-recorded videos by organizers, viewable during and after the event | Presented live by organizers, with sponsors on stage |