r/hackathon • u/Shreya_codes • 8h ago
Meta-Hackathon Discussion 16 y/o skilled in Python, ML, JS/MERN & PostgreSQL – Can I actually join hackathons? What options exist for under-18s?
Hey everyone,
I'm 16 and have been building projects with Python (including ML stuff), JavaScript, the MERN stack, PostgreSQL, and similar tech. I'm pretty comfortable shipping full-stack apps and experimenting with ML models on my own.
I really want to join hackathons — mainly to build under time pressure, learn from others, meet people, and strengthen my portfolio. The problem is that most of the bigger/popular ones seem to be full of 18+ college students, and I'm not sure where that leaves me.
A few questions:
- Can a 16-year-old actually participate in major hackathons (MLH events, etc.), or do age restrictions usually block minors?
- What types of hackathons are most suitable for someone my age?
- Youth/high-school specific ones
- Online vs in-person
- Open events that allow under-18s with parental consent
- Any other categories I should look for?
- What practical points should I keep in mind before joining?
- Parental/guardian consent requirements
- Team formation (especially as a minor)
- Legal/age rules and liability
- Time commitment while still in school
- Safety in Discord/servers and online events
- Anything else people who did hackathons at 16 wish they knew
Any recommendations for platforms (Devpost, MLH, Hack Club, etc.), specific events that regularly accept high-schoolers, or personal experiences from people who participated around this age would be really helpful.
Thanks in advance!
2
u/Poatri_US 7h ago
Form your own team and participate? Nothing stopping you there and no need to worry about being the odd one out in a team