Playbook
How to apply for hackathons
Hackathons are short build events, online or in person, with prizes from organisers and sponsors. In-person places are often allocated by a short application, and judging rewards a working demo with a clear explanation.
How these are won
- Apply with links to things you have built; organisers want people who will ship something.
- Read the tracks and sponsor prizes in advance and pick one problem to aim for.
- Plan the demo: a short video and a clear readme often matter as much as the code.
Materials checklist
- Application form answersOnward Scout drafts it from your sourced profile; you approve every line.
A preparation timeline
Counted back from the deadline. Each program guide puts real dates on it.
- 28 days before the deadlineCheck fit and list the materialsRead the official page, confirm every eligibility rule and list what the application asks for.
- 21 days before the deadlineDraft the answers and documentsDraft each written answer and document from what you already have, citing real facts only.
- 7 days before the deadlineReview against the criteriaReread every answer against the published criteria, fill the gaps and check every upload.
- 2 days before the deadlineSubmit and keep the confirmationSubmit before the last day; portals slow down near deadlines. Save the confirmation.
Questions you will meet, answered honestly
What have you built before?
Two or three links with a sentence each on your part in them.
Do you have a team?
Say so either way; many events help solo participants find a team.
How Onward Scout helps
Onward Scout maps the official form field by field, fills it from your sourced profile and drafts the written answers; you review and tap to submit. If the form stops at a CAPTCHA, a login or a payment, you get a handoff with every field ready to paste.
Open now
- Closing soon: 2 November 2026Codex x TwitchCon HackathonTwitchOnline hackathon: use OpenAI Codex to build tools, games or overlays for Twitch streamers and their chat (Twitch API, EventSub). Adults 18+; $25,000 in prizes, and the…$25,000 in prizesRemote · open worldwideDetails and how to apply
- Closing soon: 2 November 2026HSK Chain Horizon Hackathon · IndiaHSK ChainAI x DeFi hackathon on HSK Chain (Mumbai edition): build an AI-agent trading system on a DEX, or agent-to-agent payments with HSP. Open worldwide; submit on DoraHacks by…10,000 USDT total (5,000 USDT per track; 1st place 2,500 USDT)Mumbai, India · open to applicants worldwideDetails and how to apply
- Closing soon: 2 November 2026YouCam API Skin AI & eCommerce VTO HackathonPerfect CorpOnline hackathon to build a web or mobile prototype on Perfect Corp's YouCam APIs (AI skin analysis, apparel virtual try-on) for beauty, fashion or e-commerce. 1,000…$6,000 in prizesRemote · open worldwideDetails and how to apply
- Closing soon: 8 November 2026Sheridan Datathon 2026GDG on Campus Sheridan College24-hour in-person datathon (an MLH member event) at Sheridan College, Mississauga, on 7–8 Nov: turn real datasets into models, analyses or dashboards, judged on insight…CA$12,000 in prizesMississauga, CanadaDetails and how to apply
- Closing soon: 9 November 2026Learn AR with SPECSDevpostOnline learning hackathon run by Devpost: design an augmented-reality Lens for Snap's SPECS glasses and let an AI coding agent build it in Lens Studio, no glasses…$2,500 in prizesRemote · open worldwideDetails and how to apply
- Closing soon: 11 November 2026Mozilla Otari Hackathon - Devs Wilding Online!MozillaTwo-week online hackathon from MozFest: finish a side project using Mozilla AI's open-source Otari gateway (open-weight models, agents, tools). Submit a repo, demo video…$1,200 in prizesRemote · open worldwideDetails and how to apply
Let Onward Scout prepare your hackathons applications
Drop in the résumé, deck or portfolio you already have. Onward Scout builds a sourced profile, finds opportunities you can win and prepares each application for you to approve with a tap.
Nothing is submitted without your tap. Logins, CAPTCHAs, payments and interviews stay with you.