Last year, I won four vibe coding hackathons (with my total winnings equaling $5,800). At this point, I think I might consider myself an expert. Here's how you can win too:
- First win: https://x.com/anything/status/1961568053327794406?s=46
- Second win: https://x.com/maddiedreese/status/1965916519164162133?s=46
- Third win: https://x.com/maddiedreese/status/1982872513169502234?s=46
- Fourth win: https://x.com/maddiedreese/status/2006192040741413126?s=46
Here are my top tips and tricks for finding, competing in, and winning vibe coding hackathons:
Finding
Twitter.
Most hackathons are posted here on Twitter. At least once a week, I do targeted searches including visiting the profiles of all major vibe coding tools. That covers most of them. Then, I also search for the following keywords on all of Twitter:
“vibe coding”
“vibe coders”
“hackathon”
“vibe coding competition”
“vibe coding contest”
“ai coding.”
This combined effort pulls up a decent amount of the ones that have been posted.
Contra.
Sign up for a Contra account. They’re always running fun challenges with great sponsors.
Reddit.
The subreddits /r/vibecoding /r/vibecodersnest /r/hackathon and /r/vibecodedevs often have smaller competitions being advertised through posts. I found a competition that I won 1st place and $1,000 through from a post in one of those subreddits.
Web search.
Usually Google. Keywords like “vibe coding hackathon” “vibe coding competition” “vibe coding contest” etc. all work well. Don’t forget to use Boolean operators to narrow down your search parameters!
Community.
I am very grateful to have a lot of great friends on here who tag me in hackathons. Post about your work, and you’ll develop a great community too!
Competing In
The first step to competing in a vibe coding hackathon is to make a plan.
- How big do you want to go?
- How much time do you have to build?
- Which tool do you have to use?
- Are there guidelines/a rubric to follow for maximum points?
Then it’s time to come up with an idea. Maybe you have an idea you’ve been kicking around for ages that’ll be perfect for this hackathon, or maybe you need to come up with something new.
One thing people fail to realize about sponsored hackathons is that they are ultimately marketing for the sponsoring company. These companies want to show off the capabilities of their products. That’s why they sponsor hackathons. This is the absolute most critical thing to keep in mind when you’re coming up with ideas for your build. You want the judges (and everyone else who uses what you’ve built) to stop and say:
“Wow! You can do that with _____?”
Once you have your plan, and your idea, you can start building. This is when it’s time to buckle down. I work best by locking in for long sessions, but the best strategy for you may be different. If it is, then figure out what that strategy is.
Give yourself plenty of time (if you can). Hackathons operate with time constraints, but each one varies in how much time they give you to compete. Every time I compete I see people asking for an extended deadline for whatever reason (tech issues, etc.). You don’t want to be in that position. Submit early!
Have fun. I like to win (of course) but my main motivation is to build something cool and have a great time.
Don’t take competing too seriously. Remember that how you place in a hackathon will not make or break you as a person.
Talk to your fellow competitors! You all have something in common, so that’s an instant conversation starter right there. Take advantage of it, and make friends/connections!
Winning
Post about your build! A lot of hackathons have bonus prizes for the best/most engaged social posts. Also, if you’re proud of what you’ve built, why not show it off?
Think outside the box. Everyone else will be building a useful SaaS. There obviously isn’t anything wrong with building a useful SaaS (I use many every day, haha), but if you want an easy way to gain points, build something that stands out.
Focus on the details! This is hard, because normally in hackathons you don’t have much time. But I’m of the opinion that a product with 1 really well executed feature and great UI/UX will beat out a product with 3 badly executed features and poor UI/UX. Of course, if you can build a well-executed 3-feature product with great UI/UX, then more power to you!
Speaking of details, I feel like best practice is to buy a custom domain for your build (if you’re building for the web). It doesn’t have to be a .com, but purchasing something easy to remember/visit will show you’ve put in the extra effort. The same goes for a custom favicon and updated open graph tags. It’s about polish!
Listen! I’ve been to hackathons where the judges sit down for a fireside chat/roundtable and discuss exactly what they want to see, and how they’ll be judging. If this happens at a hackathon you’re attending, sit down and listen! I’ve seen too many people get straight to building, completely skipping essential information that can help them be strong competitors.