Tech people, designers and non-programmers of all ages* are all welcome to HackTM. Whether you're a developer, a designer, a geek, a tech-savvy individual or simply have the talent and creativity to make it through 48h of continuous hacking, you should give HackTM a try. Bring your passion for IT and hack away, your way.
*If you are under 18 yo, your parents will have to fill out a form of approval. Please download the form, have your parents sign it and make sure you bring it with you on registration day! Otherwise you won't be able to join the hacking fun.
In terms of attendees and staff, expect a lot of excited people passionate about IT, industry experts, mentors to guide you if you get stuck, judges to… uhm, judge your project ofc and a jolly-bunch of volunteers who are ready to help you with whatever.
In terms of amenities, there will be several food trucks, drink stands (juices, smoothies, coffee, water, tea), merchandise & swag corners, fun activities provided by our sponsors and a sleeping area with sleeping bags where you can take a power nap (or, you know, snore the night or day away to recharge).
To have a great time: We try to provide a wide array of food options and beverages on location, available for free or at a cost. However, if you know hacking makes you crave specific treats, feel free to bring your own bites. Also, although we provide a number of sleeping bags, they are in high demand, so it might be a good idea to bring your own. Other than that, pack lightly, according to your quirks and move in (or just go home to rest & recharge and come back when you feel ready to go at it again).
To build your project: Make sure to bring all hardware equipment required to develop your project. This includes laptops, monitors, Raspberry Pi devices, Arduinos, charging cables and whatever gadgets you know are essential to building your project. We can provide adaptors and cables if needed. Also, if your project requires a specific device and you don't have the possibility to purchase it, we can try to get it for you, if you let us know with at least a month in advance.
The only accommodation we offer is on-location, by organizing a sleeping area with sleeping bags. In case you’re from outside Timisoara and want to book an accommodation, please contact us and we can help you with recommendations.
Yes. The only condition is that you don’t work on the project from outside the event venue. Other than that, feel free to come and go as you please.
Check-in happens at the beginning of the event, on location. You can check-in at any time you want, but the sooner you get here, the sooner you can start working on that winning project.
If you're a student: bring your student ID.
If you're under 18 yo: bring the signed Parent Approval form.
No matter who you are: have the confirmation of your ticket with you. We prefer the online version.
Although you need the ticket confirmation in order to check in, please have it on your phone. No need to print it.
No, you can fly solo if you’re a lone ranger, so have a crack at it! But you know what they say, the more the merrier.
All teams can have a maximum number of 5 people, with the possibility of a 6th member, but only if he/she/they/it is a designer. Yes, a team of one is still a team (high-five yourself, frisky one!).
If you don't have a team, there are several ways to go about it:
- On the first day of the event, pitch your project idea on stage to convince other people to join your cause. You'll have 60 seconds, so make them count.
- Listen to the project ideas pitched on stage and join a cause.
- Check out if any of the already established teams need more people - as in… go and ask them.
All teams, even the one-(wo)man teams, will have to register on the NOW platform on the day of the event, before the judging starts*.
You'll get more details about the process soon!
*If you don't register your team on the NOW platform, you won't be taken into consideration for any of the prizes. You can still hack, but you won't be taken into account for the Grand Prize or for the Sponsors' Prizes. Seriously. So do it.
HackTM is an open hackathon, so you can build whatever hardware or software project your geeky heart desires. Make it as outrageous, exotic, impossible-Âto-Âclassify, supercalifragilistic, what-is-this type of project. We can't wait to be flabbergasted!
However, make sure you surprise us in a positive way. We will not tolerate any offensive projects that disturb the good vibes of HackTM.
Sure. But the clock is ticking. Tik-tok, tik-tok.
Whichever programming language you want. We’ll reward the participant proving she’s/he’s The Highlander of a specific language or the first one that invalidates this singularity claim.
Uhm, no. Sorry, not sorry. Only fresh code allowed. You can build on existing frameworks, however, only your contribution will be judged.
We strongly encourage it. You came here to show off, didn’t you?
Laptop & charger are a must. Also, all other hardware bits and pieces needed to make your project work: Arduino, Raspberry PI, monitors, gadgets and the list can be as long as your imagination. Plan ahead and come prepared.
We’ll have extension cords and internet cables, in case the hack hits the fan. Also, if you need any specific devices that you can’t afford to buy, we can try and get them for you IF and ONLY IF you let us know at least a month in advance.
Ask a mentor. Yep, we’ll have mentors ready to help you out. Just look around and you’ll easily spot them, as they’ll wear special T-shirts (and they’ll probably have that geeky excited look that seems to say “Can I help?!”). If you’re too shy to ask a mentor, send us an email or whip-up a message on Facebook and we’ll answer as soon as possible.
Yes. You need to check-in at the event and work on your project from our venue. In case you need to take a break or your real-life is calling you, you are free to go and come back as you please, but you’re not allowed to work remotely.
Noup. We barely have time to manage and implement our own ideas, so you’ll keep full ownership. We only want to make sure we have the bragging rights to mention that your empire started at our humble hackathon, when you’ll launch your IPO.
The jury will be made up of industry experts and IT professionals from local companies. They’re knowledgeable, cool people, who’ll keep an open mind above anything else. They’ll snoop around and ask questions so make them your friends.
There are no set-in stone criteria. Each judge will be on-the-look for something else so try to get a feel of what might impress your judge by talking to him/her/it. Most judges award points based on coolness/originality, complexity, completeness and UI/UX design.
Each sponsor will award a prize to the project that best answers the needs/requirements of their category. Usually, the official criteria will be announced on our website prior to the event and also by each sponsor at the event, but don’t be shy to go and ask for clarifications on D-Day. Make sure that your project offers a relevant solution to the sponsor’s proposed issue and don’t forget to be crazy-original, bold and outrageous. Bring out your inner badger (or whatever spirit animal you prefer)!
For the Grand Prize, we have a two-step voting process:
- The jury vote: Each judge will be randomly given a number of teams to evaluate. The judge will visit these teams and will compare them in pairs, selecting a favorite out of each two consecutive teams they visit.
- The public vote: The top 8 teams (according to the votes given by the jury) will present their projects on stage and then everybody will vote to choose the Grand Winner.
At the same time the judges visit their teams, sponsors will also drop-by to see what you’ve achieved. Each sponsor will choose and announce the winner for their category. It’s totally up to the sponsors who they choose. In case you have questions about their criteria, ask them at the event.
Gather your bearings, polish your code & design and be prepared Sunday around noon. More details will be announced during the event, on the NOW platform. Keep a close eye on it.
Ooops. Let's fix that. Contact us at [email protected] and we'll try to give you the answer you've been looking for. At the event, stalk us and don't be shy to ask by pulling our sleeve. We'll be wearing special staff T-shirts that will be hard to miss đź‘€ .