Over 80% of Fortune 100 companies conduct hackathons! They do so to forge teamwork, innovation, and collaboration. It’s a great way to get your employees or people from different backgrounds to collaborate and ideate solutions. It also helps to evoke creativity within the organization.
Best hackathon ideas are rewarded and often made into products and services. Some companies organize internal hackathons to find the right people for a specific job. It helps in identifying the potential of employees. On the other hand, some companies organize these events to network with people from other companies and sectors. This helps in bringing in a fresh breath of creativity and ideas.
But first, what is a hackathon?
Hackathon is a time-bound event organized by companies where they make teams to provide solutions for a particular problem. The team members can be the firm’s employees or people from different backgrounds, such as technological professionals, computer programmers, and business enthusiasts. Hackathons are collaborative platforms that facilitate the generation of new ideas.
A diverse team brings a unique perspective and approach to the table, which is why hackathons successfully drive innovation. Companies worldwide conduct hackathons for these reasons, proving these events’ viability.
It begins with a problem the organizer wants to solve, and teams are made. Hackathon themes are essential to set the objective for the participants. These teams then work together to find, design, or create solutions. The event can be held offline, online, or hybrid. There are many types of hackathons, depending on their rules. Some organizers restrict the use of technology to a specific software or application, whereas some organizers will need you to make an app, a website, or a prototype.
Get started with these hackathon ideas.
Participating in a hackathon is a great way to enhance your creativity. It will give you a first-hand experience of how the industry functions, and you will experience the workflow. You can display your abilities and expertise to your company with your hackathon project ideas. Address the elephant in the room, i.e., the problem you want to solve, and then brainstorm for ideas. Think of ways to solve that problem creatively and uniquely.
- Automate ambulance management: We manage ambulances on phone calls; if you can integrate it with GPS, it will be a significant breakthrough. Not only will it help in tracking the ambulance, but it will make the entire system smoother. You’ll need excellent technical skills, so if technology is your forte, consider choosing this!
- Enhance already existing systems: There are many loopholes in the services we use every day. Pick an app or service and make an upgrade to it. The upgrade should be beneficial and accessible for everyone. For example, automate the waste management system, and add tools to systemize the whole process. You can add a reminder and waste tracker. Add highly accurate safety alarms for people who work in hazardous jobs. Allow them to set reminders to wear protective gear and take all precautions.
- Translation app for sign language: It is an excellent idea for a hackathon for beginners. People with disabilities struggle a lot on an everyday basis. It will be a fantastic project if you can innovate a solution for their problems! We only have a few translation apps for sign language. The available apps are either inefficient or expensive. Roughly 70 million people will use sign language worldwide in 2022. An efficient app that will translate sign language will make it easier for these people to communicate with other people. It will encourage them to be a part of society and participate in social activities.
- Parking spot finder: We all use maps to navigate. If you can use your technical skills and innovation, create an app to locate parking spots. With the increasing population and subsequent rise in the use of vehicles, it is not easy to find parking spots every day. You might likely be late for work in the morning rush if you’re busy finding a place to park your car. It’s stressful and annoying to hobble over parking lots and empty streets daily.
- Crowdfunding system: One of the best hackathon ideas for companies is to make a crowdfunding system for start-up owners or small businesses. They always need help raising funds due to lacking a crowdfunding platform and attaining people’s trust. It would be very beneficial if you could develop a system to get people to donate to start-ups and small businesses. You can encourage people to donate with incentives or discount coupons. Successful hackathon projects for companies are sustainable and solution-driven, so consider these qualities.
- Automated solutions for basic jobs: An employee must send tons of mail daily, especially in the corporate world. Other basic jobs include organizing calendars, meetings, and finding files. Creating AI-based solutions to help employees do these daily tasks is a great way to make their work less stressful. It will save a lot of their time, which they can utilize for other essential activities.
- An integrated system for students: Students manually manage their class schedules, syllabus, and reference materials. Creating an integrated database with all the reference materials, presentations, e-books, and learning materials of all formats will be very useful. Additionally, allow the database to be customizable so students can track their progress and record their classes. Having everything in one software will save them time and help them to be more productive. Many students struggle with planning and giving them everything in one place will reduce half of their work.
How to run a virtual hackathon?
Virtual hackathons are a great way to bring in people from diverse places and backgrounds. Since the location is not a bar anymore, people from all over the world can join. Does this mean there will be more creativity, innovation, and fresh talent in the teams? Yes!
Once you’ve selected a theme or goal, you’ll need a platform to hold the virtual event. This platform should have some necessary features, such as video conferencing, text-based chatting, digital collaboration tools, and a centralized resource hub. The platform should be efficient enough to host a vast audience without technical issues.
For a successful virtual hackathon, it is better to have the proper equipment and a good platform. Promote your event as much as possible; the primary goal is maximum participation. Acquaint the participants on how the virtual event will take place and tell them the ground rules or etiquette they must follow.
What makes a good hackathon?
Every event has some gifts or rewards for the winners. But we often need to remember to reward the participants. You can have some tips for the participants to boost their creativity and encourage more participation. Another helpful way to encourage participation and make the entire event more fun is by adding the element of gamification.
Use the technology and add attractive gaming options, including points for actions, a leaderboard to showcase the points, level-ups when a participant makes progress, and incorporate multiple contest types. You can also make it work for a team, including team scores and leaderboards. Gamifying your hackathon will make it more competitive and fun. Every good hackathon has an element of adventure and excitement.
Ignite ideas and creativity now!
Use these hackathon ideas to create an engaging hackathon for your participants. To make your hackathon idea foolproof, conduct surveys, interviews, and plenty of market research. Make your prototype efficient and effective. Candidates with common interests churn out unique solutions.
Use the gamification feature in Nunify for your next hackathon. Sign up today!