The checklist to run before you register for a hackathon

Registering for a hackathon takes two minutes. Finding out on day one that you weren’t eligible, or that the final round clashes with your end-sem exams, costs a lot more than that. Before you hit register on the organiser’s page, run through this checklist.

1. Is it real and current?

Look for an official page from the organiser, whether that’s a college, a company, a community or a listing platform. Check that the dates are for this year’s edition, not last year’s. On HackathonFinder every listing shows its source and a “last checked” time, so you can see where the details came from and how fresh they are. Always confirm on the official page, because organisers can change things after we last checked.

2. Are you eligible?

• Is it open to all students, or only certain years, branches or one college?
• Are recent graduates or working professionals allowed?
• Is it limited to a particular city, state or country?
• Do you need a valid college ID or a letter from your institute?

3. What does it cost?

Many hackathons are free, but some charge a fee per person or per team. Check whether the fee covers food and stay for offline events, and whether refunds are possible. Use the free/paid filter on our listings if you only want free events. Be careful with anything that asks you to pay through an unofficial channel with no clear organiser behind it.

4. Do the dates actually work?

Hackathons often have several dates, and it’s easy to miss one:

• Registration deadline
• Idea or deck submission for shortlisting
• Online rounds
• Final round dates and timings
• Result announcement

Put these next to your academic calendar: internals, practicals, assignment deadlines and fests. The HackathonFinder calendar shows events side by side, so clashes are easier to spot.

5. What are the team rules?

• Minimum and maximum team size
• Whether teams can mix members from different colleges
• Whether there are any team composition requirements
• Whether you can change members after registering

Need one more person to meet the size rule? Try the Team Finder board.

6. What do you need to submit?

Find out early whether you’ll need a pitch deck, a code repo, a demo video, a hosted link or a written report, and in what format. Note any word or slide limits. Some events ask for an idea submission before shortlisting, so you may need a solid one-page proposal before you write a single line of code.

7. What about code and ownership?

Check whether you can use code written before the event, open-source libraries or AI tools, and whether the organiser claims any rights over what you build. Sponsored hackathons sometimes have their own terms. If anything is unclear, ask the organisers before you register, not after you’ve built something.

8. Logistics for offline events

• The exact venue and how you’ll get there
• Whether travel or stay is reimbursed
• Food, Wi-Fi, power sockets and sleeping space for overnight events
• Permission from your college if the event overlaps with classes

9. Prizes and perks

Read how prizes are split between overall winners, track prizes and special mentions, when they’re paid, and whether there are certificates or other perks. Prizes shouldn’t be your only reason to join, but you should know what’s on offer.

10. Track it

Once everything checks out, save the event to My hackathons, then move it from saved to registered after you’ve signed up on the organiser’s page. Deadline reminders are coming soon; until then, add the key dates to your phone’s calendar as well.

Quick rule: if you can’t find the organiser, the dates and the eligibility rules within five minutes, treat that as a warning sign.