How to win a hackathon
in the AI age
What judges look for, and how to build it for free.
Fathy Rashad · Co-founder & CTO, Cleve.ai · Lead mentor
Raise your hand
Is this your first
hackathon?
Good. My first one was at 17.
About me
I've sat on both
sides of the table.
12 hackathons joined, 6 prizes
15 hackathons judged
AI research with MIT at 19
Co-founder & CTO, Cleve.ai
I lost my first 6 hackathons.
no win2018 · age 17
semi-final2019
top 52019
semi-final2019
finalist2019
rank 92019
🏆 award2019
🥈 2nd2020
🏆 1st2020
🏆 best OSS2020UTM Open Virtual Hackathon
🏆 winner2020
🏆 $2,0002021Then I placed in the next 6 in a row.
Now I judge them: 15 hackathons so far.
A hackathon is not about hacking.
What people think
Breaking into systems
What it really is
Building a solution to a real problem, fast
AI changed what judges expect.
Before AI
A mockup and nice slides could win.
→
Now
Anyone can build an app in hours, so we expect a working demo.
How you'll be scored (100 points)
Problem & relevance20
Innovation & creativity20
Solution & prototype25
Feasibility & impact20
Presentation & pitch15You have ~23 hours,
including tonight.
10:45teams start5 PMday 1 ends
tonightbuild at home
9:30 AMsubmit5 minpitch
2 mindemo / buffer
3 minjudges' questions
This talk follows your next 24 hours.
01Rolesnow02Idea11:1503Build1:15 PM
04Demotonight05Pitchtomorrow 10 AM
06AfterMonday on 01 · RolesSplit the work.
Your team is set. Now decide who does what.
Who does what, and when
Today, to lunchToday, 1 to 5 PM
Tonight Tomorrow 8:30
BuilderPick the tools. Get a first version running.
The main feature, working end to end.
Fix, polish, put it online.
Stop changing code by 9:00.
DesignerPick the look. Find sites you like.
Polish the screens judges will see.
Slides and thumbnail.
Final check of the deck.
PitcherTalk to real people about the problem.
Write the story. Check in with mentors.
Draft the deck. Record the demo video.
Rehearse 3 times. Submit by 9:30.
02 · IdeaPick an idea that stands out.
When everyone can build with AI, the idea matters most.
Shout it out
Give me a
tourism app idea.
The first ideas AI gives you
AI trip plannerChatbot tour guideAR heritage app"Hidden gems" mapBooking website
If AI gave you the idea, it gave other teams the same one.
Explain your problem
in 10 seconds.
If you can't, pick a simpler problem.
Research your judges' backgrounds.
Same rubric, but each judge scores from their own experience.
Technical
"Does it actually work?"
Stricter on feasibility and a working demo.
Entrepreneur
"Who pays for it?"
Business model. Will people really use it?
Industry
"Does it fit real work?"
How the business actually runs today.
Academic
"Where's the evidence?"
Proof of the problem. How you'd measure impact.
Your judges this weekend
Chuo Nang Ling
Founder, Sarawak Fruit Enterprise
Works with 150+ local farmers in Sarawak
Ting Dao King
Third-generation manager, Poh Guan Hong
20 years in Australia in engineering, media and healthcare
Dr. Rahmat Aidil Djubair
Dean, School of Business and Management, UTS
AI and digital transformation specialist
Show your idea to the mentors early, while you can still change it.
03 · BuildBuild it for free.
You don't need a paid AI plan to win.
Some teams pay US$200 a month for AI.
You can do this for RM0.
Who has a student email?
Google AI Studio builds the app for you.
Describe it in plain words. It writes the code and shows you the app.
FreeNo code needed"Build" tab
aistudio.google.com
Students get Google AI Plus free for 12 months.
2× Gemini limits400 GB storageAge 18+, college or uniClaim by 31 DecCancel before it renews
gemini.google/my/students
Students get GitHub Copilot free.
Copilot (AI coding)GitHub ProFree .me domain
Verify with your student email. Apply today. Approval can take a few days.
education.github.com/pack
More free tiers worth trying
Lovable
Great for a first draft, but the free plan is very limited: 5 credits a day.
Students: 50% off Pro
Kiro
AI coding app from AWS, with a free tier.
kiro.dev
Freebuff
A free coding agent in your browser, desktop or terminal.
freebuff.comI haven't tested all of these. Check the free limits first.
Out of credits? Use free AI models.
OpenCode: free coding agentOpenRouter: ":free" models, 50/day
opencode.ai · openrouter.ai
A free set of tools that covers everything
BuildAI Studioor Kiro, Copilot
→
Database
SupabaseConvex for live updates
→
Put it online
Vercelfree, real link
→
Slides
Canvadeck and thumbnail
Already know other tools? Use those. You'll move faster.
From idea to a live link in 6 steps
01
02
03
04
0506A good design makes judges trust your app.
AI's default look
Same app, with taste
Make your app not look AI-made
21st.dev · real components, "Copy prompt"
binmob · 1,191 real site designs
Screenshot a site you like and tell the AI: "make it look like this."
A free guide from a friend who placed in 20 hackathons
Hong Bing's hackathon field manual: the rules, a pitch playbook and the stack to use.
hong.build/hack
What can you build in 24 hours?
Example 1 · chatbotA job scam simulator
An AI recruiter chats with you on WhatsApp.
Example 2 · gameA playable museum of Sibu
Walk around town and collect the stories.
Example 1: a job scam simulator on WhatsApp
The recruiter is an AI. Built for UNODC and Project Liber8.
1. the fake job ad
2. the AI recruiter
3. the reveal
4. what you missed
Try it nowCan you spot the scam
before you send your passport?
tervaxa.com/jobs/cs-bangkok
Play it now or tonight. It only takes a few minutes.
Idea for your theme
Use the same idea
for Sibu tourism.
A WhatsApp bot for homestay hosts: send one voice note, get a page tourists can book.
WhatsApp
Voice note
English + BMHomestay Helperbot
0:33Siap! Here's your page, in English and BM:
Wooden homestay by Sungai IganRM120 / person · dinner + breakfast · Book on WhatsApp
Example 2: a playable museum of Sibu
9 landmarks.
Collect every stamp.
04 · DemoPrepare your demo.
Live demos break. Plan for it.
Record a backup demo video tonight.
If the live demo breaks on stage, play the video and talk over it.
You can make your pitch video with AI.
Ideas
241 launch videos made by prompting Claude.
Made with AI
I make my videos with AI too.
AI avatar AI voice
AI-animated scenes
How human trafficking actually happens
#UncoverTheOffer · UNODC × Project Liber8
Follow me on Instagram for more hackathon and AI tips.
The pinned post is my hackathon guide: 355K views on TikTok.
Scan to follow.
DM me what you build.
05 · PitchYour pitch usually
decides the winner.
Building gets you into the race. The pitch wins it.
Grab the judges' attention
in the first 10 seconds.
Act it out
Play a tourist who's lost in Sibu.
Bring a prop
Put a real dabai on the table.
Start with the demo
Open with the app already working.
Keep each slide to
1 or 2 sentences.
If you're reading your slide out loud, the judges have stopped listening.
Prepare answers to these questions.
Watch how past winners pitched.
Watch their demo videos on Devpost. Copy the structure, not the idea.
devpost.com/softwaremy winning project · MLH 2020
VoteWhich team wins?
TEAM A
10 features
Slides full of text
Demo crashes on stage
TEAM B
1 feature
One clear story
Plays the backup video
The answerTeam B wins, almost every time.
TEAM A
10 features
Slides full of text
Demo crashes on stage
TEAM B
1 feature
One clear story
Plays the backup video
Winner 06 · AfterDon't let your project
stop here.
Win or lose, it can still get you hired.
Put your project online properly.
GitHub with a real READMEthe problem, a screenshot, how it works
Demo video on YouTubeunlisted is fineSlides on Devpost or your profileas a PDF
thumbnail for the Sibu map
Share your project on social media.
LinkedIn
Instagram
TikTok
X
YouTube
This weekend at My Kampung, My Pride · Sibu, our team built [name]: [what it does]. The problem: [a real person or number]. Try it: [link]. What I learned: [one honest lesson]. Thanks [tag your team and mentors].
While you're there,
finish your LinkedIn profile.
Recruiters check it before they reply to you.
Every link from this talk is on one page.
This page is a Cleve note. That's what I build.
I'm here all weekend
Come say hi.
Show me what you're building.
in/mfathyrashad
@rashadventureNow go build something
for Sibu.
Building is the easy part now. Your idea and your pitch decide the winner.
Terima kasih!