Running hackathons when we can't meet in person
summary
Major League Hacking rapidly moves planned campus hackathons online, running primarily weekend events that mimic in-person pacing and social structure, attracting up to 500-person events and global thousands by segmenting regions with three opening ceremonies. Practical stack includes Discord voice channels, Zoom, Twitch, Devpost for submissions and StreamYard for browser-based multi-host streaming, plus custom registration-to-Discord bots. Organizers force team formation with facilitated icebreakers, schedule mentorship and games to onboard novices, and report that hybrid digital-first models scale while preserving showcase demos and feedback loops.
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Introduction and MLH overview
- 1:29Why hackathons matter now
- 3:55Social experience in digital hackathons
- 7:06Participant experience online
- 13:42Supporting shy participants remotely
- 19:58DevRel sponsorship in online events
- 24:29Managing global online events
- 26:58Key technologies for virtual hackathons
- 31:30Long-term impact of digital events
- 37:35Closing and resources
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