My First Hackathon Was Nothing Like I Expected
It was just one month into my college journey when an announcement came through about the internal selections for Hack4SDG, a hackathon that was going to take place at IIT Hyderabad.
At first, I almost skipped registering.
I didn't think I was ready. None of us really knew what a hackathon was like. But my friends and I paused for a moment and thought, "Why not? Let's just give it a try."
That one decision started everything.
We picked a problem statement, brainstormed ideas for a few days, came up with a possible solution, and prepared a presentation for the internal ideathon organized by our college.
The First Time I Spoke in Front of Everyone
I had never spoken in front of an audience before.
Seeing all the teams waiting for their turn made me even more nervous. Most of them were seniors, and they seemed far more experienced than us.
I couldn't focus.
My mind kept telling me that everyone knew more than I did.
Then suddenly I thought...
"I'm just explaining a solution that my team and I worked hard on."
As the team leader, I spoke last. I explained why it was important for people to understand the carbon footprints they leave behind and why awareness alone isn't enough unless we take action.
I wasn't confident because I was good at public speaking.
I was confident because I had done the research.
Once I started talking, everything else disappeared.
The Unexpected Excel Sheet
After the presentations, we honestly didn't expect much.
There were so many experienced seniors with amazing ideas that we assumed they would be selected.
While I was on my way home, I received an Excel sheet listing the selected teams. Our team's name was there. That's it.
We were going to IIT Hyderabad.
My friends and I couldn't believe it.
Reality Hit
The excitement lasted only until we realized something.
We had never participated in a hackathon before. We didn't know any tech stack well enough. We didn't know how people built complete solutions in just 24 hours. We had no experience.
But then again...
Everyone has to start somewhere.This was our starting point.
Walking Into IIT Hyderabad
The day we entered IIT Hyderabad felt magical.
Hundreds of students from different colleges had gathered with the same goal—to build something meaningful, learn new things, and meet like-minded people.
The hackathon had three evaluation rounds, one every eight hours.
We understood the problem statement, planned our work, and even used AI chatbots to help us move faster whenever we got stuck.
Everything seemed to be going well. Until the first evaluation.
Our First Reality Check
We demonstrated what we had built so far. Then we looked around.
Teams with experienced seniors had already developed polished solutions. Some had working hardware. Others already had almost complete applications. We were nowhere close.
For a few moments, it felt discouraging. But after talking as a team, we decided to stop comparing ourselves. This wasn't our competition. It was our first experience.
The Best Part of the Hackathon
Later that night, after dinner, we returned to the lab determined to make the most of the remaining hours.
That's when we met a group of seniors from another university who were building an IoT-based solution.
Instead of staying focused only on our own laptops, we walked over and started talking to them.
They explained their project.
They shared stories about their first hackathon.
They laughed about all the mistakes they had made.
Suddenly...
It felt relatable.
That's when I realized that hackathons aren't only about coding.
They're about conversations.
They're about meeting people who are just as curious as you are.
Some are beginners.
Some are experts.
But everyone started somewhere.
Winning Was Never the Best Part
By the end of the hackathon, we knew we weren't going to win.
And surprisingly...
We were okay with that.
We had learned more in 24 hours than we expected.
We had made friends.
We had built connections.
We had experienced our first real hackathon.
When the winners were announced, one of them was the IoT team we had spoken to the previous night. Instead of feeling disappointed, we were genuinely happy for them. We celebrated their win because, by then, it didn't feel like we were competing anymore.
It felt like we were all part of the same journey.
Looking Back
My first hackathon went nothing like I had imagined.
We didn't win. We weren't the most experienced team. Our solution wasn't perfect.
But I left IIT Hyderabad with something much more valuable than a certificate.
Confidence.
If you're thinking about participating in your first hackathon but keep telling yourself that you're not good enough, remember this:
You don't have to be the best person in the room. You just have to be willing to walk into it.
Whether you win or not, you'll come back with stories, friendships, lessons, and memories that stay with you long after the hackathon ends.
And for me, that was the real prize.
