Hackathons in media development: Takeaways for organizers | Europe/Central Asia | DW | 24.09.2018
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Hackathons in media development: Takeaways for organizers

DW Akademie organizes hackathons around the world for its media development projects. Yulia Alexseeva offers some key do's and don'ts for organizers.

Participants of DW Akademie's most recent hackathon in Moldova.

Participants of DW Akademie's most recent hackathon in Moldova.

The first impression you get looking around the room is a sobering one: worn out faces, empty coffee cups, papers full of drawings and laptops spread around. This is what creative work is supposed to look like?

It's July in Chisnau, Moldova's capital and DW Akademie is holding a hackathon. The challenge for those taking part is how to convey media and information literacy (MIL) in a playful way.

Forty participants have come together for 72 hours of intensive teamwork to find ways to advance the country's media literacy. DW Akademie experts and Olga Kisselmann from DW's Research and Cooperation Projects team are on site as mentors.

The winners

A second glance is reassuring. The participants might look exhausted after three days of intensive work but their eyes are sparkling: they’ve come a lot closer to finding solutions.

Ten teams were competing in the hackathon and three have been declared winners. One of those teams has been working on "Hype Mode Media" – a software module that transforms key words found in articles on media literacy into emoticons to make the texts more attractive to social media users. The team behind "InstaNews Builders" aims to create a platform with templates for transforming news into Instagram Stories. The third team, "PythonPlato", is focusing on developing a news and games website for children between the ages of six and twelve.

All three teams will go on to develop prototypes. DW Akademie will continue to mentor them so that their products are ready in time for the Chisinau Exposition for Youth Media in March 2019.

Proof that ideas for successful products can be hatched at a hackathon is the "Trolles" app, says the team who developed it. They had taken part in a DW Akademie MIL hackathon in 2016. Their app can, for example, recognize fake profiles on social media, and it's become a popular app in Moldova.

Much more than a LAN-Party

A hackathon (a term derived from the words "hack" and "marathon") is an event that brings information technology experts together to tackle a problem with their skills and know-how. Hackathons in essence are platforms for brainstorming and creative problem-solving. Experts typically come from the fields of software development, graphic design and project management.

DW Akademie sees hackathons, like the ones in Moldova, primarily as opportunities for experts to come together and form new networks. Hackathons usually last for a few days and can be organized as open networking events, or as closed mentoring sessions as in Moldova, or combined with workshops that run simultaneously.

How to organize a successful hackathon

  • A hackathon is a networking event for computer programmers. Your goal should be to connect people so that they can learn new approaches from each other. It is important to clearly state the problem to solve. Make sure the goal is attainable. If 25 % of the task is accomplished during the event, congratulations! Consider follow-up events for the rest. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    1. Set realistic expectations and be precise.

    A hackathon is a networking event for computer programmers. Your goal should be to connect people so that they can learn new approaches from each other. It's important to clearly state the problem to solve. Make sure the goal is attainable. If 25 % of the task is accomplished during the event, congratulations! Consider follow-up events for the rest.

  • A sense of community and respect is paramount. Make newcomers feel at home. Participants who underestimate their own skills or are unsure about how to contribute can find it frustrating. If they feel they don't know enough, make sure they know why you chose them to participate. You might find that more guidance is needed than you thought, so have mentors ready to step in. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    2. It's all about teamwork.

    It's paramount to create a sense of community and respect. Make newcomers feel at home. Participants who underestimate their own skills or are unsure about how to contribute can find it frustrating. If they feel they don't know enough, make sure they know why you chose them to participate. You might find that more guidance is needed than you thought, so have mentors standing by.

  • No matter how advanced the participants are knowledge-wise, don't expect them to find solutions right away. Give them time! Try to create an environment that allows them to make headway. Make sure the venue is big enough. While they might work mainly at the computer, consider providing them with room to step back. They might want to sketch ideas on paper, for example, or go outside to brainstorm. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    3. Don't rush!

    No matter how advanced the participants are knowledge-wise, don't expect them to find solutions right away. Give them time! Try to create an environment that allows them to make headway. Make sure the venue is big enough. While they might work mainly at the computer, consider providing them with room to step back. They might want to sketch ideas on paper, for example, or go outside to brainstorm.

  • Hackathons are not anarchic events. Divide the organizers' roles: some contribute ideas, for example, others calculate costs or research background information. Plan hackathon segments and follow your schedule: from the registration and introduction phases, to the team collaboration phase, to discussions with mentors, and to the presentation and final wrap up. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    4. Keep things organized.

    Hackathons are not anarchic events. Divide the organizers' roles, with some contributing ideas, for example, others calculating costs or finding background information. Plan hackathon segments and follow your schedule: from the registration and introduction, to the teams collaboration phase, to discussions with mentors, and to the presentation and final wrap up.

  • Choose your workshop trainers and mentors carefully. They should be experts in their specific fields and know how to lead and motivate groups. Go for diversity when picking your trainers and mentors: find, for example, male and female experts and those from different age groups. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    5. Don't underestimate the selection of mentors.

    Choose your workshop trainers and mentors carefully: they should be experts in their specific fields and know how to lead and motivate groups. Chose diversity when picking your trainers and mentors: find male and female experts, for example, and those from different age groups.

  • Make sure accompanying workshops last no longer than 45 to 90 minutes. And know that two workshops per day are enough – the biggest asset of a hackathon is time for the working sessions. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    6. Don't overdo it.

    Make sure accompanying workshops last no longer than 45 to 90 minutes. And know that two workshops per day are enough – the biggest asset of a hackathon is time for the working sessions.

  • If you want your hackathon and its follow-ups to turn out results, you'll need money. Turning ideas into reality does not work without funding. In Moldova, DW Akademie awarded 3000 Euros each to the three winning teams. While it takes money to turn ideas into products, do not let money be the only motivation for taking part. Hackathons are creative, collaborative processes for finding solutions. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    7. Money is important...

    If you want your hackathon and its follow-ups to produce results, you'll need money. Turning ideas into reality does not work without funding. In Moldova, DW Akademie awarded 3000 Euros to each of the three winning teams. But money shouldn't be the only motivation for teams to take part. Hackathons are creative, collaborative processes for finding solutions.

  • One of the dangers is that teams come to hackathons with pre-conceived ideas, in an attempt to win prize money. But money should not be the only motivation. Stress that hackathons are about working together to develop new approaches, and about gaining experience and building new networks. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    ... but not the priority.

    One of the dangers is that teams come to hackathons with set ideas in an attempt to win prize money. But stress that hackathons are about working together to develop new approaches, gain experience and build new networks.

  • And finally: do not call the event a hackathon just because it sounds good. If it's not about programming and working with computers it's a workshop and not a hackathon. (DW/Y. Alekseeva)

    How to organize a successful hackathon

    8. Don't fall for the hype.

    And finally, don't call the event a hackathon just because it sounds good. If it's not about programming and working with computers it's a workshop and not a hackathon.

    Author: Yulia Alekseeva, Heidi Walsh


There is no one-size-fits-all model for organizing a hackathon because groups and topics vary. But DW Akademie has some tips that can help determine whether an event is successful or not.

      1. Set realistic expectations and be precise.

      2. It's all about teamwork.

      3. Don't rush!

      4. Keep an overview and stay on schedule.

What not to do

The biggest blunder is to think that all teams will develop a viable solution. This event is just a pit-stop and there's still a long journey ahead. Unrealistic pressure won’t help. And remember:

      5. Don't underestimate the selection of mentors.

      6. Don't overdo it with accompanying workshops.

      7. Money's important but not the priority

      8. Don't call the event a hackathon just because it sounds good.

If you want to advance innovative software ideas with new approaches to working, a (well-organized) hackathon is a great format for bringing together people from various fields. Good luck in organizing your own!