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How to Win a Hackathon (Without Losing Your Mind)

Hey folks. I'm Yaroslav (https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaroslavvolovoj/) — and hackathons? They're more than just a weekend gig for me. It's a whole lifestyle.

Yaroslav Volovoy

Over the past year, I’ve been deep in the game, smashing through hackathons from Telegram and TON, Google, Near, and more. My biggest win so far? A sweet $70,000 prize at the Near Build Hack (check it out here: https://devpost.com/software/lmb). But it’s not just about the money — it’s about the thrill, the community, and turning wild ideas into working products.

If you're heading into your first (or tenth) hackathon — here’s a real-talk guide on how to survive it, thrive in it, and maybe even walk away with a win.

1. First Rule of Hack Club: Read the Rules

You’d be surprised how many teams build an amazing product... and then get nuked by the judges for missing the brief.

Hackathons aren’t free-for-alls — they’ve got themes, criteria, and often secret win conditions (like using the sponsor’s SDK). Sometimes, it’s all about the story. Sometimes, they want deep tech. And sometimes, it’s “just show us a cool use case.”

hackaton

TL;DR:

Read the rules like Hermione.
Understand the judging criteria.
Then build with those in mind.

If you don’t know the game, how can you win it?

2. Your Idea = Your Edge

Don’t try to build a unicorn in a weekend. Find a sharp, clear problem. One realuse case.

One fire feature.

Here's the trick:

Spark: It has to be something you're hyped about. Judges feel that energy.
Validate: Ask users, mentors, or randos online: “Would you use this?”
Avoid bloat: Cut the fat. If it’s not demo-worthy, it’s dead weight.

One team I saw did a full-blown survey during the hack. Judges went nuts — it showed real demand. That’s how you stand out.

3. Squad Goals: Assemble Your Avengers

The perfect team?

Tech beast (or two)
UI/UX wizard
Business brain
Pitch master (aka your stage killer)

Not all teams are big — but what matters is complementary skills. Decide roles early. Parallel work wins. No bottlenecks. No endless debates. Vote, move, build.

And if you’re remote — set up a Discord, Notion, shared Figma, Git, whatever works. Sync fast. Don’t ghost your own team.

4. Time Management Is Life Management

Time flies. Like seriously. One minute you’re ideating, the next — it’s demo time and you’re still pushing bug fixes with shaky hands.

Hack like a pro:

First 1–2 hours: setup tools, repo, workflow.
Plan by stages: dev → test → polish → pitch.
Keep scope tight. 70% of something good beats 0% of a masterpiece.
Appoint a timekeeper. Someone has to say “Drop the feature, we’rerehearsing.”

And for the love of coffee — leave 2–3 hours for the pitch. That’s your endgame.

5. MVP > Everything

Wanna win? Build a Most Presentable Feature (MPF) — not a full product. Hackathons reward what looks good and works now.

Use what you know — no need to learn a whole new stack mid-hack.
Use mock data if backend’s not done.
Can’t get the API? Fake it till you make it.
Style it, polish it, make it demo sexy

And please — test the demo. One crash on stage = instant heartbreak. Always prep a video backup.

6. Pitch Like You Own the Place

Your product might be fire — but if you don’t tell the story, it’s just smoke.

Your pitch should answer:
What’s the problem?
How do you solve it?
Why does it matter?
What’s next?

Keep slides short, visual, and bold.
Have one confident speaker (two max). Practice with a timer. Twice. Maybe three times. And if it's a video pitch — bring the energy. Judges are watching dozens of
videos. Yours has to grab them in the first 10 seconds.

7. Be Ready for Curveballs

Judges will ask:

“How will you scale?”
“Why did you choose this approach?”
“What’s next?”

Don’t panic. Be real. Say what you did, what you couldn’t, and how you’d do it after the hack.

Transparency + vision = pro move

8. Bring the Vibe

Hackathons are team sports. Good energy, good attitude — they show. Judges notice happy, driven teams.

So:

Crack jokes.
Cheer each other on.
Celebrate wins, even small ones

You’re not just building a product. You’re building momentum, friendship, and maybe your next startup.

Hackaton

One Last Thing...

Winning is cool. But even if you don’t take home a prize — you leave with something better: experience, network, and a battle story to tell.
But if you do want to win?

Know the rules. Solve something real. Keep it lean. Sell it like a boss. And never lose the vibe.

See you on the leaderboard. Or better yet — on stage.