🧠 How to Really Crack Hackathons – My Journey of Winning Over ₹2.5L in Prizes
Hackathons are one of the best playgrounds for builders. They test your creativity, your stamina, your tech skills—and often, your storytelling. Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to win several major hackathons, including ones at BITS Goa, IIT Hyderabad, and CBIT, racking up over ₹2.5 lakhs in cash prizes. But more than the prize money, each hackathon has taught me something about the craft of building under pressure and pitching with clarity.
Let me share what really helped me win—not just the usual “build fast, break things” advice, but how I hacked the process itself.
🧩 Hack the Hackathon: It’s a Game of Vision, Not Just Code
Here’s the truth no one tells you: Hackathons are more about the idea and the implementation direction than a fully polished product. You don’t need to ship a flawless app or a perfectly deployed backend. You need to convince the judges that you’re solving something meaningful and that you’re the team that can pull it off—even if the product is only 70–80% complete.
Yes, sometimes you’ll find judges who check your code or stress-test your APIs. But 90% of the time, judges are evaluating your pitch, your vision, and your ability to communicate why your idea matters.
🔥 My Secret Formula:
- Solid 70–80% Tech Implementation
- 20–30% Bluff (Vision + Pitch)
- 100% Energy & Confidence
And by “bluff,” I don’t mean faking the product. I mean speaking about the full vision, even if it’s not all implemented yet. Make them see what it could become.
💡 Technical Depth Still Matters — But in Balance
Don’t fall into the trap of just wrapping ChatGPT APIs in a UI and calling it a product. Hollow wrappers are easy to spot, and a good judge will see through them.
That said, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Use APIs. Use frameworks. Use AI models. But go one step deeper than the average team. Add a unique feature, build a smart system, or design a thoughtful UX. Judges love polish and originality.
🗣️ Pitch Like a Founder
One of the most underrated skills in hackathons is the pitch.
Your 3–5 minute pitch should answer:
- What problem are you solving?
- Who is it for?
- Why is your solution better than others?
- What have you built so far?
- Where can it go from here?
Pro tip: Keep a slide deck ready, rehearse your pitch at least twice, and make the demo flow smooth—even if it means recording part of it in advance (some teams do this when things are buggy).
🤝 Network Like a Human
Talk to the judges before the final round if possible—at meals, during mentor hours, etc. Get feedback. Show your curiosity. Judges remember the teams they connected with.
Also, engage with fellow participants. I’ve made some amazing friends and collaborators at hackathons. Your next co-founder or investor might be sitting right next to you.
🧘♂️ Enjoy the Process — Hackathons Are About You
Finally, don’t treat hackathons like warzones. They’re not about beating others. They’re about pushing yourself. I’ve built products in 24–36 hours that I would’ve never touched otherwise. Some turned into full-blown startups. Some were trash—but all of them taught me something new.
So sleep (at least a bit), eat properly, laugh with your teammates, and remember: This is where you discover what you’re capable of.
🏆 Final Words
I’ve had the privilege of winning at places like BITS Goa, IIT Hyderabad, and CBIT, but every win came down to three things:
- A strong idea rooted in real problems
- Just enough technical execution to show it works
- A powerful story that connects everything
So if you’re preparing for your next hackathon, don’t just build—strategize, pitch, and most importantly, believe.