Guide
What is a hackathon?
A short, time-boxed sprint where small teams turn a problem into something that works well enough to show.
A hackathon is a fixed window — commonly 24 to 48 hours — in which teams build a working prototype against a set brief and then pitch it to judges. The point is not a finished product. It is a demonstrable answer to one problem, produced fast enough that the idea survives contact with reality.
Formats vary. Some hackathons are open-prompt and unmentored, and teams sink or swim. The hackathons The Cortex Accelerator Hub runs in South Africa are themed and mentored: the brief comes from the sector funding it, mentors check in during the build, judging criteria are published in advance, and the strongest teams are offered support afterwards rather than just a prize and a handshake. That is the model described below.
The 48-hour spine
Every Cortex hackathon runs on the same shape, whatever the theme.
Hour 0
Hackathon opens
Hour 10
First mentor check-in
Hour 22
Second mentor check-in
Hour 48
Prototypes locked
How the 48 hours actually go
Before it starts: a team and a theme
You register as a team, usually three to five people, and read the themes. A theme is a real problem area set by the funder or host sector, not an open prompt. Most first-time teams spend their preparation deciding which theme they actually care about.
Hours 0–6: narrow the problem
The brief is opened and teams scope down. The single biggest mistake first-timers make is building the whole idea. Pick the one part a judge can see working in a five-minute demo.
Hours 6–24: build the thin slice
Split the work: one person on the demo path, one on the data or logic, one on the story and slides. At a Cortex hackathon there is a mentor check-in in this window, which is where scope gets cut for the second time.
Hours 24–42: make it demonstrable
Stop adding. Get it running end to end on the machine you will demo from, with fallback screenshots. Write the three sentences that explain what it does, who it is for and why it matters.
Hours 42–48: submit and pitch
Submission closes before the pitches. Teams present to judges against published criteria — usually problem fit, working prototype, feasibility and the pitch itself — and prizes and any post-hackathon support follow from that.
What first-timers ask
- Do I need to be a developer?
- No. Teams that place usually mix someone who builds, someone who understands the problem, and someone who can present. Design, research and domain knowledge are load-bearing.
- Do I need an idea before I arrive?
- No. The themes are published in advance so you can think, but the idea is meant to be shaped during the hackathon against the brief and the mentors' input.
- Is 48 hours literal?
- At a Cortex hackathon the clock runs 48 hours from brief to pitch across roughly three days. It is not expected that you skip sleep; the schedule is published per hackathon.
- Who owns what we build?
- That is set out in the intellectual property clause published on each hackathon's About page, so you can read it before entering.
Ready to try one?
Open and upcoming hackathons are listed with their themes, dates, eligibility rules and prizes.
Browse hackathons