What to expect from a hackathon program (and how it compares to running just one)

There's a meaningful difference between running a hackathon and running a hackathon program—not just in volume, but in what you get back. Each event adds to the last: more developers reached, more insight into how your tools are actually being used, and a stronger presence in the communities that matter to you.

Key takeaways:

• Hackathons introduce your tools to new developers, surface use cases your roadmap might miss, and start community relationships that can extend well beyond the event
• One well-run hackathon is valuable on its own, but a hackathon program amplifies your results across the board
• A hackathon program builds brand awareness and long-term relationships in your developer ecosystem
• Each event gives you a direct window into how developers are building with your tools—new use cases, unexpected applications, and patterns that only become clear over multiple events

Some hackathon organizers on Devpost have been doing this for years. Atlassian, for example, has hosted Codegeist, its annual hackathon for developers, on Devpost for more than 10 years. Microsoft has run 30+ hackathons on Devpost since 2016. NVIDIA integrates hackathons into product launches and developer events like NVIDIA GTC.

A well-run hackathon—even just one—delivers real value for your developer community. If you're still building the case for running one, we've covered the reasons companies host hackathons here. This post is about what happens when you run more than one.

Why recurring hackathons matter more right now

New models, new APIs, and new frameworks are evolving fast. A hackathon gives developers a structured reason to pick up something new and build with it. A recurring hackathon program creates more of those moments, keeping your developer community engaged as your tools and the broader technology landscape continue to change.

Between 2022 and 2025, more than 1,800 AI hackathons were hosted on Devpost, producing more than 33,000 AI tool integrations in 2025 alone. That pace of experimentation reflects how quickly AI tools are moving and how much appetite there is among developers to build with them right now.

Companies like Microsoft, Google, AWS, and many others have been running hackathons on Devpost for years, spanning AI, cloud, developer tools, and more. Each event was a new opportunity to get developers building with their latest capabilities, with challenges tailored to where their products are at that point in time.

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What a hackathon program makes possible

A hackathon program isn't just a single event repeated. Whether it's an annual series like Atlassian's Codegeist or a collection of distinct hackathons hosted over time by the same company, the goal is consistent: building ongoing relationships with your developer community and giving developers fresh reasons to build with your tools.

Here’s what you can expect from running a hackathon program.

Each hackathon gives you a clearer picture of how developers build with your tools

Every time you run a hackathon, you get a direct window into how developers are actually using what you've built. The projects they submit, the challenges they gravitate toward, the solutions they come up with. 

These reveal things that internal testing alone rarely surfaces. New use cases. Unexpected applications. Signals about which parts of your product developers find most valuable, and which they find confusing or limiting. Run one hackathon and you have a data point. Run several, and those signals start to form a pattern you can act on.

Your developer community grows with each event

Each hackathon brings new developers into contact with your platform. They might join your developer community, contribute to your ecosystem, or show up at your next event. 

Google, for example, has run multiple series of hackathons on Devpost spanning AI, cloud, and developer tools. Each has been a new entry point for developers to discover and engage with Google's platform. A recurring program gives developers more opportunities to find you and more reasons to stay connected.

Returning developers can bring more depth

When a developer has already built with your tools before, they can come back with more context. They've worked through the learning curve; they're ready to go further. This doesn't happen with every participant, but it's worth paying attention to when it does.

Christian Klaussner is a good example. He has participated in five Codegeist hackathons on Devpost and won first place in Codegeist Unleashed. His level of sustained engagement illustrates what can happen when a developer becomes genuinely invested in a platform through repeated hands-on experience.

Hackathon programs work at any scale

The principle is straightforward: the more hackathons you run, the more opportunities developers have to connect with your brand and build with your tools. Your second hackathon gives you another chance to reach developers you didn't reach the first time, re-engage the ones you did, and learn more about how your community builds.

A platform with a growing API ecosystem, a SaaS company expanding its developer program, a startup working to establish a presence in the developer community—the logic applies at any size.

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Hackathons are a meaningful part of your developer engagement strategy

Developer community building takes more than hackathons alone. It involves documentation, developer advocates, community forums, content, and a lot of consistent effort across multiple channels. But hackathons play a distinct role in that picture. They give developers a structured, time-boxed reason to engage with your tools.

Running hackathons consistently makes them a more meaningful thread in your developer engagement strategy. The best time to start a hackathon program is with your first event. The second-best time is your next one.

Thinking about making your hackathon an annual event? Talk to our team about what a recurring program could look like for you.