Everything you need to know about virtual hackathons

Want to tap into global innovation without the logistical headaches of an in-person event? Virtual hackathons are your answer. These online software competitions bring together developers, designers, and creators to solve challenges and build groundbreaking solutions—all from their own keyboards. 

Today's virtual hackathons offer bigger talent pools, better projects, and broader impact. Whether you're a seasoned event organizer transitioning to online competitions or planning your first hackathon, this article covers everything you need to know about how to organize a hackathon that gets results.

What is a virtual hackathon?

In a nutshell, virtual hackathons are software competitions that take place entirely online and require participants—often developers, designers, and tech enthusiasts—to build a project based on the organizer’s prompt. You might be familiar with in-person hackathons, where developers take part in coding marathons and work on their projects seemingly non-stop over a one to two-day period. 

Virtual hackathons aim to capture that same energy and inspire participants to build their projects over a few weeks, not hours. This will result in more polished projects and allow creators from around the world to participate and contribute their ideas.

Related: What is a hackathon?

Why run virtual hackathons?

Virtual hackathons allow you to maximize your hackathon’s reach and connect with huge global developer communities. When developers build projects using your technology during hackathons, they're more likely to become long-term users and advocates for your product. With the rise of global connectivity, virtual hackathons have become a powerful tool for collaboration, problem-solving, and driving sustainable product adoption.

Benefits of virtual hackathons

Virtual hackathons have many benefits:

• More experienced participants: Professional developers can’t always attend in-person hackathons that happen over 1-2 days, but virtual hackathons offer flexibility that enables skilled professionals to contribute without disrupting their schedules.
• Improved project quality: Online hackathons have longer timeframes than in-person events (2-3 months vs. 1-2 days). This gives participants more time to design and build high-quality, impactful solutions.
• Drive product adoption: Get developers building with your tools and APIs, creating a pipeline of users who deeply understand your platform.
• Global reach: By connecting individuals from diverse backgrounds and locations, virtual hackathons foster a richer pool of ideas and perspectives.
• Increased accessibility: Virtual events eliminate the need for travel, making participation possible for a wider audience.
• Scalable: Whether you expect 50 or 5,000 participants, you can offer them all the same great experience through virtual hackathons.
• Cost-effective: An online hackathon means you don’t have to worry about the logistics or costs involved in running an in-person event.

Other types of virtual hackathons

While this article focuses on public virtual hackathons, it's worth noting that companies also host private hackathons exclusively for their teams and guest hackathons for select partners and customers. 

Internal hackathons enable collaboration and innovation among global teams, without having to bring team members together in person from around the world. Internal hackathons let teams set aside dedicated time to experiment, solve problems, and build solutions for the company outside of their day-to-day work.

Related: Learn how to run a company-wide internal hackathon.

Guest hackathons allow you to improve product adoption, drive revenue, reduce churn, and gather highly specific insights from your existing customers. Holding these hackathons virtually makes it easier to scale these events and connect with customers and partners in different locations.

‍Related: See how SAP connects with clients through its guest hackathons.

Real-world example of transitioning to virtual hackathons

In 2020, the global pandemic prompted Finastra, a global fintech company with almost a decade-long history of in-person hackathons, to transition its events to a virtual format. Partnering with Devpost, Finastra launched its first virtual hackathon, "Hack To The Future 2020." The event was a resounding success, attracting over 4,000 participants and generating innovative solutions.

After the massive turnout of its first-ever virtual hackathon, the team at Finastra continued hosting virtual events. According to Chirine Ben Zaied, Head of Innovation at Finastra, the switch to remote events helped her team tap into the “magic” of hackathons.

“We had amazing stories,” said Chirine Ben Zaied, Finastra. “With hackathons, what happens during the event and the quality of projects is all out of your control after you launch. But we always saw magic happen.”

Hackathons also help Finastra gain insights from working with a wide audience.

“It’s very refreshing from an innovative perspective,” said Chirine. “From what we’d like to do, what projects we’d like to invest in, the partners we work with, and the clients. On the brand side, you have all the participants sharing their stories because they’re so excited to have participated and then they won—it’s all unexpected and that’s the hackathon magic.”

How to organize a hackathon

Successful virtual hackathons require careful planning and execution. Here are the key steps involved:

#1 Set clear goals and objectives

Establish specific, measurable objectives for your virtual hackathon. Are you aiming to crowdsource innovative solutions? Looking to build or grow your developer community? Or perhaps showcase your API's capabilities to potential partners and customers? 

Clear goals will guide every aspect of your event, from theme selection and prize structure to marketing strategy and success metrics. Consider both quantitative targets (number of registrants, project submission rates) and qualitative outcomes (project quality, community building) to create a well-rounded framework for success.

#2 Define the theme and scope

The hackathon topic will determine whether or not participants are excited to get involved. It’s important to find a balance when selecting the topic for the event. It should be open-ended enough so that participants can experiment within the parameters, but also provide enough structure to ensure that what they’re building supports your ecosystem.

#3 Assemble a dedicated team

Build a team with diverse skills and expertise. Consider looping in team members from DevRel, product, engineering, and marketing teams. While specific teams and roles will vary depending on your organization’s structure, think about who you’ll need to help with troubleshooting, answering technical questions, and promoting the hackathon to your community.