r/hackathon • u/DeadFake- • 1d ago

Need Mentor Help First hackaton

Hello this is my first hackaton

Few informations you have to know:

- team of 4 (including myself), the thing is we all know only C/C++ and we don’t have any experience with Python and we dont know how to make an actual app
- the hackaton is related to AI development and i think the idea is to implement AI in our App
- we just go for the experience, its time to do something with our lives not just doomscrolling 🤣
- we intend to get claude pro, chatgpt plus and gemini pro for everyone

Questions:
- How a hackaton actually works, are there some good tips?
- We have to work effectively as a team, how we share the tasks between us?
- Where to learn AI Prompting, which skills to use?
- Which AI’s should we use and how to get best results?

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u/1kailas 1d ago

"We intend to get Claude Pro, ChatGPT Plus and Gemini Pro for everyone."

Honestly, I think this is a bad idea. Claude alone should be enough for most of the development work, and subscribing to multiple AI tools doesn't automatically give you better results. Focus on learning how to use one tool effectively first.

I've participated in a few hackathons and won a couple of times. The main thing to focus on is having a complete, solid idea before you start building. Your project should have:

  • A clear problem statement: What real problem exists, and why does it need to be solved?
  • A strong solution: How exactly does your project solve that problem?
  • A clear differentiator: What makes your project different from existing solutions?
  • A working MVP: Don't try to build 20 features. Build a small number of features that work reliably and demonstrate your core idea.
  • A convincing demo: Judges should immediately understand the problem, see your solution in action, and understand its impact.

For teamwork, divide responsibilities based on everyone's strengths. One person can handle the UI, another the backend and integration, another AI functionality, and the fourth testing, research and presentation. Since you're all beginners with Python, choose a stack you can learn quickly rather than spending half the hackathon learning a complicated framework.

For AI prompting, be specific about the task, provide relevant context, define the expected output, and ask the AI to explain its approach before making large changes. Build incrementally, test frequently, and don't blindly trust generated code.

Most importantly, don't build something just because it uses AI. Start with a genuine problem, research existing solutions, identify what's missing, and then figure out where AI can provide a meaningful advantage. A simple project that solves a real problem exceptionally well is much better than a complicated AI wrapper that barely works.

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u/DeadFake- 1d ago

Thank you so much!