How to Write a Hackathon or Ideathon Application That Gets Accepted

Popular hackathons and ideathons often receive far more applications than they have places. At these events, the application form is the first round of the competition: reviewers read many applications in a short time and decide based only on what you wrote in the form.

In this guide we explain how to answer the common questions on application forms, what to pay attention to in team and idea applications, and the most common mistakes.

What do reviewers look for?

• Motivation and fit with the theme: Why are you interested in this theme? Is it general enthusiasm or a concrete experience?
• Skills and contribution: What will you bring to the team? Is there a project, link or example that backs up your claims?
• Team balance: In team applications, having different roles together.
• A clear idea: If an idea is requested, a clear and short explanation of the problem and the solution.
• Commitment: Will you be able to attend the training sessions, mentor sessions and the final?
• Care: A form that's complete, within the character limits and free of typos.

Before you apply

• Read the eligibility requirements: Age range, student status, department or country restrictions, team size.
• Check the dates: The application deadline and time, training (bootcamp) days, the final date and any in-person attendance requirement. Make sure nothing clashes in your calendar.
• Prepare the required documents: You may be asked for a student certificate, a CV, a portfolio link or an intro video.
• See the questions in advance: Open the form from start to finish and copy all the questions into a document.

Answering the motivation question

"Why do you want to take part?" appears on almost every form, and it's the question most often brushed off with generic phrases. A strong answer briefly covers three questions:

1. Why this theme? A concrete experience you've had, a project you've built or a problem you've observed related to the theme.
2. What will you bring? Your skills and an example that proves them.
3. What do you want to learn or achieve? How the event will contribute to your goals.

When an idea summary is requested

Ideathons and some hackathons ask for an idea summary at the application stage. The reviewer should be able to understand your idea in a few sentences. This template is a good start:

• Explain the problem before the solution; however brilliant the solution, it carries no value if the problem isn't understood.
• Write about the benefit to the user instead of a feature list.
• Avoid abbreviations and jargon; the reviewer may not be from your field.
• See the character limit not as an obstacle but as a test of clarity.

If you've started thinking about how you'll present your idea in the final, see our How to pitch at an ideathon guide.

Team applications

• Write each member's role and contribution to the team in one sentence.
• Highlight complementary skills: development, design, business development, domain knowledge.
• Mention it if you've worked together before; a team that gels is reassuring for the reviewer.
• If you're applying alone, state clearly which role you can contribute in; it makes it easier to find you a suitable team during matching.

CV, GitHub and portfolio links

• Check that your links are public by opening them in a private window.
• Pin your best projects on GitHub and add a README to each that explains the problem, with screenshots and steps to run it.
• If you're a designer, a short portfolio that highlights a few strong pieces works better than a long archive.
• Update your CV and LinkedIn profile; make sure the dates and details are consistent with each other.

If an intro video is requested

1. Respect the time limit: Reviewers watch many videos; ones that run over leave a negative impression.
2. Get to the point in the first seconds: Say right away who you are and why you're applying.
3. Sound matters more than picture: Record in a quiet place, ideally with a headset microphone.
4. Check the access settings: Choose "unlisted" on YouTube or "anyone with the link" on Drive, and test the link in a private window.

Common mistakes

• Copying the same generic motivation text into every competition.
• Leaving the application to the last hour; heavy traffic or technical problems may mean you miss it.
• Sharing links that don't open or have no access permission.
• Padding answers with information nobody asked for, or giving one-word answers.
• Not checking for spelling and grammar mistakes.

You can see competitions open for applications in the competition list, sorted by deadline; the "Last days" badge marks events whose applications close soon.