Your step-by-step guide to organizing a company hackathon that drives real results.
So, you want to run an internal hackathon? You’re in the right place.
Companies that make time for this tend to see real outcomes—new ideas that make it onto product roadmaps, stronger cross-functional relationships, and a signal to employees that creative thinking is actually valued here. For a lot of companies right now, they're also one of the most effective ways to get teams actually building with AI, rather than just hearing about it in a training.
This guide walks through the key steps of hackathon planning and organization, from setting your initial goals to choosing the right platform.
An internal hackathon (sometimes called a company hackathon or private hackathon) is a time-boxed event where employees come together to solve a defined problem or build something new. It typically involves building software, prototyping a product idea, or generating structured solutions to a challenge specific to your organization.
Unlike public hackathons, internal events are only open to employees, which means participants are working on problems related to their area of expertise, and the outputs tend to be immediately relevant to the business.
The goal is usually some combination of fostering innovation, strengthening cross-functional collaboration, and giving teams dedicated space to experiment with new ideas and AI tools. There are quite a few different formats to choose from, depending on what you're trying to accomplish. For a breakdown of the options, see our guide to 8 types of internal hackathons to drive innovation within your organization.
The core purpose is to create dedicated time for the kind of thinking that doesn't happen in the normal flow of work. In general, hackathons are designed to drive innovation by asking participants to use their skills to creatively solve a problem. Internal hackathons have essentially the same purpose. Since internal hackathons are only open to employees, the problem they're solving is usually specific to the organization that’s hosting the event.
Most employees don't have bandwidth for exploratory projects. A well-run hackathon carves out that space deliberately, and gives people a reason to experiment, collaborate outside their usual teams, and surface ideas that might otherwise never get raised.
What you're specifically trying to accomplish will shape every other planning decision, which is why it's the first thing to get clear on before you start organizing.
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There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes planning and prep to make sure a hackathon runs smoothly. Here’s how to approach it.
Before touching logistics, get clear on what you're trying to accomplish. An internal hackathon can serve many different purposes: generating product ideas, building cross-functional relationships, giving teams hands-on time to experiment with and integrate AI into their workflows, or solving a specific technical problem. But no hackathon serves all of them equally well at once, which is why defining your primary goal early makes every other planning decision easier.
To help with planning, ask yourself three questions:
The answers will drive your theme, your judging criteria, your event duration, and how you communicate the hackathon internally.
Once you’ve determined the goal of your hackathon, you’ll need to plan the logistics of the event. Consider the duration, rules, judging criteria, and registration process for participants.
The event duration will depend on factors like your overall goal for the event and the number of people you’d like to participate. For example, a smaller hackathon with the goal of producing polished, well-developed projects might take a week. In comparison, a company-wide hackathon might only last 1-2 days to avoid business disruption.
You might also want to extend your hackathon's submission window if you're hosting training workshops or office hours. This gives participants the chance to ask questions about the hackathon, meet with other departments, or learn how to use a new internal technology relevant to their projects.
Set these based on your goals and share them with participants well before the event. Vague rules create confusion on the day. Be specific about what counts as a valid submission, how teams can form, and what resources participants are allowed to use.
Sharing your judging criteria before the hackathon is good practice. When participants know what they'll be evaluated on (business impact, technical execution, originality, feasibility), they can focus their energy accordingly. If you're thinking through how to structure judging efficiently, Devpost for Teams streamlines the hackathon judging process so criteria are visible to participants and scoring is easy to manage across a panel of judges.
Think early about what will motivate people to sign up, and communicate the purpose clearly so employees understand why their time is being asked for. On the logistics side, tracking who's registered, which teams they've joined, and any last-minute changes can get unwieldy fast if you're managing it manually. A hackathon platform handles this automatically, keeping registration data organized and cutting down on the back-and-forth that tends to pile up in the lead-up to the event.
For a deeper dive into planning specifics, including event format (in-person, virtual, or hybrid), selecting judges, structuring prizes, and managing the event day itself, download our free guide to planning internal hackathons for your entire company.
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Hackathon organization runs more smoothly when stakeholders are brought in before the plan is finished, not after. Along with getting stakeholder buy-in, you’ll likely want to engage the following teams:
It’s also worth giving a heads-up to employees who aren't participating. That way, other teams can plan it into their workflow if a lot of software developers will be busy with the hackathon.
Fostering a positive team spirit throughout the company, even among non-participants, can help everyone understand the value of these events.
Internal marketing matters a lot. If employees don't understand what the hackathon is, why it exists, or how to get involved, sign-ups will be lower than you'd like, regardless of how well the rest of the event is planned.
Effective internal promotion usually includes a clear kickoff announcement (event date, theme, and how to register), a follow-up communication with judging criteria and event details, and reminders as the deadline approaches. Getting executive support is one of the best ways (if not the best way) to help drive registrations.
Using a hackathon platform will make it a lot easier to manage your hackathon. From planning to reporting, you’ll be able to plan the event, communicate with participants, and track results in one place.
When you’re deciding which platform to use for your hackathon, it’s important to consider what’s most important to you. For example, if this is your first time running an internal hackathon, you might want to choose a platform that offers stellar customer support to help you through every step of the way.
In general, a hackathon platform should:
Some platforms, like Devpost for Teams (DFT), include pre-built templates for both the overall event setup and participant project submissions, which can meaningfully cut down configuration time and help participants spend more time building.
Internal hackathons reduce attrition, foster collaboration, and create fun! The events that generate the most useful outcomes are the ones where participants know what they're working toward, feel genuinely supported throughout, and see what happens to their ideas afterward. A short post-event survey goes a long way toward making the next one better, and toward building the case internally for running more of them.
