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Running a Hackathon

Applied AI Live is about talks and live demos. Hackathons are about building. Both matter. Hackathons surface the builders in your community, the people who might become case study subjects, future speakers, or collaborators on real projects.

Hackathons also lend themselves naturally to co-hosting. Multiple communities share the lift, share the audience, and everyone benefits. Our first hackathon (Moltathon ATX, February 2026) was a collaboration between four groups: AITX, Hack AI, Organized AI, and Applied AI Society.

This playbook is scaffolding. It will fill in as we run more hackathons and learn what works.

Format Options​

There's no single right format. Pick based on your goals, venue constraints, and audience.

Short (1 day, 8-12 hours)

  • Lower commitment, easier to fill. Good for a first hackathon.
  • Works well with a training session in the morning and building in the afternoon.

Overnight (24+ hours)

  • Higher energy, deeper projects. Teams have time to build something real.
  • Requires more logistics: food, power, overnight access, safety considerations.

The Moltathon model:

  1. Training session to get everyone up to speed on the platform or tools
  2. Team formation
  3. Build session (the bulk of the time)
  4. Demos and judging

You can also run themed tracks (e.g., "best automation for a local business," "most creative agent") or keep it open-ended. Platform-specific hackathons (like building on OpenClaw) give participants a shared starting point, which helps newcomers.

Co-Hosting​

Hackathons are one of the best events to co-host. The workload is significant, and splitting it across 2-4 communities makes it manageable while multiplying your reach.

What to agree on early:

  • Who owns the venue relationship?
  • Who handles registration and communication with attendees?
  • Who manages AV and the demo setup?
  • Who organizes judging and prizes?
  • Who handles food and logistics?
  • How do you split costs and sponsorship revenue?

Each co-host should bring something concrete: their audience (email list, social following), their venue connections, their sponsor relationships, or their operational capacity. If a co-host doesn't bring anything, they're not a co-host.

See Building Partnerships for the broader framework on structuring win-win collaborations.

Sponsorship​

Sponsorship is how hackathons cover prizes, food, and venue costs. The model is straightforward: tiered packages with clear deliverables on both sides.

TierWhat They GetTypical Contribution
LogoTagged on socials, logo and blurb on event pageLower cash amount or in-kind
TrackNaming rights on a hackathon track (e.g., "The Acme AI Challenge")Mid-range cash or significant in-kind
TitleTitle sponsor, prominent branding on all materials, speaking slot at kickoff or demosHigher cash and/or major in-kind

How It Works​

  1. Have your packages and pricing ready before you reach out.
  2. When a sponsor commits, send them a high-level agreement via DocuSign documenting what you're providing with the hackathon and what they provide (cash and/or in-kind).
  3. Keep it simple. The agreement doesn't need to be long. One page is fine.

In-Kind Sponsorship​

Cash isn't the only currency. In-kind contributions are common and often more valuable to participants than cash prizes:

  • Hardware: GPUs, dev kits, IoT devices
  • Cloud/API credits: compute time, API keys for the hackathon duration
  • Food and drinks: catering, coffee, snacks
  • Swag: t-shirts, stickers, branded items
  • Prizes: hardware, subscriptions, mentorship sessions with industry leaders

Venue & Logistics​

Hackathon venues have different requirements than talk-format events. The key differences:

  • Wifi: Must be reliable under load. 50+ people all building, downloading packages, hitting APIs. Test the wifi before committing.
  • Power: Outlets everywhere. People need to plug in laptops, chargers, external monitors. Bring power strips.
  • Space: Teams need room to spread out. Not theater seating. Think tables, whiteboards, breakout areas.
  • Demo area: A stage or front-of-room setup for presentations at the end.
  • Food staging: Somewhere to set up food that doesn't disrupt the build area.

For overnight events, also consider: restroom access, security/building access after hours, quiet areas for breaks.

See Finding a Venue for general venue guidance.

Promotion & Registration​

  • Use a registration platform like Lu.ma or Eventbrite. Approval-based registration works well for hackathons since you want to ensure attendees are actually planning to build.
  • Cross-promote through every co-host's channels. Each community posts to their email list, socials, and Slack/Discord.
  • Emphasize the training component in your promotion. Many people have never done a hackathon. "Come learn and build" is more inviting than "compete for prizes."
  • Post the schedule so people know what to expect.

See Writing Event Descriptions for crafting the registration copy.

Day-Of​

Kickoff​

  • Start with a training or onboarding session, especially if there's a specific platform or tool involved. Don't assume everyone knows the tools.
  • Explain the schedule, judging criteria, and prizes upfront. No surprises.

Team Formation​

  • Let people self-organize. Some will come with teams, some won't.
  • If there are solo attendees, do a quick matchmaking session: people pitch ideas, others join the ones that interest them.

During the Build​

  • Check in with teams periodically. Not to micromanage, but to keep energy up and help unblock issues.
  • Make mentors or experienced builders available for questions.
  • Post time updates: 2 hours left, 1 hour left, 30 minutes to demos.

Demos & Judging​

  • 3-5 minutes per team. Keep it tight.
  • Judges ask 1-2 questions after each demo.
  • Panel of 3-5 judges. Ideally a mix of technical people and business-minded people.
  • Share judging criteria at the start of the hackathon, not at demo time. Criteria might include: technical ambition, real-world applicability, presentation quality, creativity.

After the Hackathon​

  • Announce winners and distribute prizes the same day. Don't make people wait.
  • Share photos and project highlights in a recap. Tag participants, co-hosts, and sponsors.
  • Follow up with standout builders. The best hackathon participants are potential case study subjects, future speakers at Applied AI Live, or collaborators on community projects.
  • Run an internal retro. What worked, what didn't, what you'd change. Document it for next time.

See Writing & Sharing Event Recaps for the public recap process and Event Recaps for the internal retro format.

Checklist​

  • Confirm co-hosts and agree on roles (venue, registration, AV, judging, food)
  • Secure venue (test wifi under load)
  • Set up sponsorship tiers and start outreach
  • Create registration page
  • Promote across all co-host channels
  • Confirm prizes and judging panel
  • Plan the training/onboarding session
  • Run the hackathon
  • Share recap and tag participants, co-hosts, sponsors
  • Follow up with standout builders
  • Write internal retro

See Also​