Have you read PennApps’ Medium post from last week about automatically accepting students from schools in and around Philadelphia? It’s a fantastic idea and it’ll expose more students to the college hackathon scene. More hackers + less barriers = growth.
In his recent TEDxTeen talk, Dave Fontenot spoke about how attending PennApps inspired him and his friends to start MHacks. Though only a couple years old, MHacks now rivals PennApps in size, and has inspired many others to start hackathons at their own schools. We’ve heard the same story from dozens of organizers among the hackathon organizer community.
Hackers have a collaborative spirit and we’re all working together to bring these experiences to a wider audience. We’ve created resources outlining best practices, a code of conduct so attendees feel safe, and new sponsorship & expo models to support larger events — but above all else, we need more leaders to step up and throw their own events.
So, how do we create new leaders? Simple: we have to reach out, show them what they’re missing, and arm them with the right tools.
Our modest proposal
Live music >>> listening to records and it’s the same with hackathons. You have to experience one to understand what it’s all about.
- Consider reserving 20% of your slots for first time attendees, and students from underrepresented schools or those without hackathons.
- Reach out to hackers and invite them proactively. Hackathons are still unfamiliar territory to many and they may feel intimidated / unsure of their own skills.
- Assign someone on your exec committee to be in charge of “new hacker experience.” Onboarding matters.
- Contribute to the MLH Hackathon Organizer’s Guide and share what you’ve learned.
- Want to go a step further? Invite students to attend your hackathon as apprentice organizers. You’ll get more done and they’ll get hands on experience for their own events. It’s a win-win.
Opening up admissions is the most powerful recruitment tactic we have, but to scale the hackathon community 1000x, we need everybody to get involved. Please consider our proposal, give us your feedback, and thanks for being awesome!
~ Swift, Richard and Neal