When I was learning about hackathons last year, I met some people involved in the NHS Hack Days in the UK. Today I met Anne-Marie Cunningham who organised the Hack Day that happened in Cardiff, Wales, last weekend. We had a great chat and she told me about her experiences.
People blog about their hackathon experiences – check out their stories and see how creative they were. Take pictures, tell your stories, share your experiences. Track our hackathon on Twitter with #hacknz2015 by posting pictures and links to your blogs or just leave a comment.
Sometimes people find it hard to pitch their idea at the beginning of a hackatahon. Focus on the problem you want to solve and the skills you think you will need from others, e.g. you have an idea about exercise management and you have clinical skills and need software skills in your group. Tell us about the problem (this is what everyone is interested in), give a rough idea of how you want it solved (detail comes out in the brainstorming after the groups form), and tell us about yourself and what skills you’re good at.
People bring really interesting ideas to a hackathon and have a blast solving problems. Creativity, collaboration, variety, real world solutions, making something that works, are all part of the buzz of a hackathon. It’s exciting to see what arrives at the beginning of the weekend and how it develops and turns into something new and doable and useful by the end of the weekend.
Hackathons have no budget – all the organising, the venue, the Internet acceess, the prizes (if there are any) are all donated in-kind. Catering costs are covered by donations (get in touch with me if you want to donate). Judges and mentors and everyone who attends the hackathon are contributing voluntarily. That’s what’s great about hackathons!
You can’t predict what will happen at a hackathon but you can know that great stuff happens.
Bring a friend. Have fun. Make something. Share the experience. Have a blast!
Day by Day 
Leave a comment