Hackathon is more than programmers and coders creating lines of complex codes during a coding event. It’s about being part of the rare coding and ethical hacking interactive community. These are the very next steps towards advanced STEM learning. So, if you have an aspiring coder at home, encourage her to pursue it, not just as a passion, but as a new-age skill that has every scope of turning into a demanding career option. In fact, hackathons are one of the best places to kickstart a beginner’s journey in coding. Here is a list of beginner-friendly ones youngsters can try out.
Hackathons for beginners
The year 2021 was a significant one for the coding world with several hackathons being organised throughout the year. Here’s a low-down on a few of them.
Hackja: Suitable for middle and high school programmers, Hackja is the best platform to start one’s hackathon journey. It’s a 24-hour event with a range of fun challenges and workshops on how to build websites and games. Computer science graduates and professional mentors collaborate and guide young hackathon enthusiasts to the world of hacking through coding. This event has been getting popular ever since it was launched.
Lighthouse hacks: It not only teaches beginners about how to develop hacking skills through codes, but also trains them in other STEM fields such as AI, machine learning, data science and virtual reality along with providing entrepreneurial guidance. The specialty of this hackathon is that it’s a two-day event, during which young coders can compete in teams of five (of same age group) to solve problems.
Endurance Hackathon: This global hackathon event is designed to teach beginners how to start web development, design UX experiences – all by using codes. The programme uses AI to promote startup ideas for young influencers, who can pitch their ideas alone or as part of teams. In fact, Endurance Hackathon has already produced great results where a number of youngsters partnered together to create new avantgarde product ideas. This two-day hackathon event is thus a great place to not only learn coding and hacking, but also some real-life skills like developing a sense of healthy competition, acquiring leadership qualities and team spirit and converting resources into ready products.
Hackabot: This event provides opportunities to youngsters to use AI, virtual reality, coding and hacking – all to attain the same purpose. The theme for the entire year is ‘Laying the foundation for a more connected future.’ which aims to solve real-life issues through practical STEM approaches. Young coders will also learn about the use of coding and robotics in fields like urban planning and energy efficiency.