How I Won Two Hackathons in span of 2 weeks

Hey, if you're reading this, I probably shared it in your DM or dropped it on X. Grab a pen and paper or your favorite note-taking app because you're about to dive into my crazy hackathon adventure—and the game-changing lesson I learned from my teammates: presentation and features are everything in hackathons.

Let's kick it off with this quote I live by:

Show your Confidence just like you show off your jordans. ~ Piyush

I'm Piyush and until recently, hackathons were just buzzwords I saw on X or Reddit. Never participated, never thought I could win one—let alone two back-to-back!

PHASE 1 - The Beginner Days: Stuck in Tutorial Hell

A few months ago, I was deep in "tutorial hell." Countless Coursera videos on AIML, a few todo apps built by following along, but original projects? Blank screen, zero ideas.

I aced online courses, but real-world application? Nada. Then I discovered hackathons—intense 24-48 hour events to build something cool. Terrifying, yet thrilling.

PHASE 2 - Taking the Leap: Deciding to Jump In

Scrolling X, I saw a post about a hackathon. Theme: AI for social good. Zero experience, no team, but I thought, "Why not?" I roped in two friends.

Prep was chaos:

Left my comfort zone
Sleepless nights and ruined my health

I said YES and registered. The week before, I crammed docs, asking LLMs, "How to win Hakcathons easily ?" Depressing at times—I braced for epic failure.

Then hackathon day hit. First hours: Panic. Then, magic.

PHASE 3 - The First Hackathon: Presentation Makes the Difference

The event was online, hours. Our idea: An AI-powered Vectorstore RAG agent for DIP Diet.

Day 1: Holed up in my room, dodging distractions.

Challenges:

Frontend-backend integration hell
Bugs galore, hours on Langflow
Sleep? Forgot what that was

My "FAFO" approach (Fuck Around and Find Out): Code → Error → Google/LLM → Fix → Repeat.

The turning point: Our app crashed mid-way. I dove into docs, swapped libraries, fixed it. Felt like a superhero. But my teammates taught me the real lesson: presentation matters as much as the code. They insisted we polish our demo—clean UI, clear slides, and a compelling pitch showing real-world impact.

Submission time: Our demo shone. Judges loved the sleek presentation and farmer-focused features.

Drum roll...

First place! Total newbies, winning with prizes and X shoutouts. The rush? Addictive.

First hackathon win

PHASE 4 - The Second One: Features Seal the Deal

Riding the high, I joined another hackathon the next weekend. Theme: ML model building. I was hooked and this time with more confidence.

This was intermediate level hackathon, in our college.

Our project: Healthcare. Integrate as much features with proper model building and showcase them end to end .

Routine:

9 30 AM to evening coding
Skipped food, lived on diet coke
Endless revisions

Nightmare moments:

Revamped UI twice
Learned about model integration with next.js

My teammates pushed again: features need to stand out. We added a unique escrow system and a slick dashboard. Our pitch? Polished, with visuals and a clear user story.

Judges praised the innovative features and our demo's clarity.

Another drum roll...

Second win! Back-to-back. Whole week was exhausting but networked with pros. Downside: Street food wrecked my digestion.

Second hackathon win

PHASE 5 - Lessons Learned: Presentation and Features Win Hackathons

My teammates drilled it into me: great code isn’t enough—presentation and standout features win hackathons. Here’s how I crushed it as a newbie, and how you can too.

Building a System for Hackathons

Use Notion or TickTick. My sections:

Ideas brainstorm
Tech stack research
Timeline kanban
Demo prep (slides, pitch, visuals)
Post-hack review

Track everything—deadlines, tasks, backups. Add a section for presentation planning.

How to Find Hackathons and Prepare

Sites: Devpost, MLH, HackerEarth
Start small: Online events
Team: Find on Discord or X
Prep: Learn core tech via roadmap.sh, build mini-projects, practice demos

Ask LLMs: "Best starter projects for [tech]?" or "How to pitch a hackathon project?"

My Learning Formula

Theory → Project → Code → Error → Learn → Repeat.

For demos: Practice pitch, refine UI, highlight key features.

Finding Your Hackathon Interest

Try themes:

Pick one (AI, Web3)
Dive in for a weekend
Love the rush? That’s your thing

Interest = Something you’d lose sleep over building and presenting.

Beating Distractions and Dopamine Traps

Hackathons demand focus—social media kills it.

Dopamine detox:

Mute notifications
Use focus apps like Forest
Reward post-hack: Treat yourself

I detoxed slowly—now I crave building and pitching over scrolling.

Build in Public: Share Your Wins

Post on X: Progress, learnings, demos, wins. I gained followers, offers.

Don’t sweat likes—just share your journey.

The Presentation and Features Edge

My teammates’ wisdom:

Presentation: Clean UI, clear slides, confident pitch. Practice your demo to show why your project matters.
Features: Focus on one or two unique, impactful features. Judges want innovation, not a bloated app.

Example: Our Web3 marketplace won because of the escrow feature and a demo that told a story.

Conclusion - The Hackathon Journey Breakdown

These wins shaped me. Recap:

Phase 1: Foundation in Basics

Built resilience in tutorials, broke free.

Phase 2: The Decision

Comfort to chaos—growth’s start.

Phase 3 & 4: The Wins

Real-world building, teamwork, killer presentations, standout features.

Phase 5: The System

Systems and presentation skills over motivation.

Core Principles:

FAFO mindset
Quick iteration
Build and present > Watch
Features that wow
Network matters

Why This Matters for You

No experience needed—just start. My wins prove it.

Today, I’ve got:

Skills in AI,ML and Fullstack
Network from events
Confidence to tackle anything

Still learning—next hackathon soon?

(Ping me on X for tips!)

Final Thoughts: Your Hackathon Starts Now

If you read this far, you've got the drive. Now act:

Find a hackathon
Build a team
Craft standout features and a killer demo
Share your story

Remember:

If it was easy, anyone could have done it.

Your wins await. Make them happen.