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Insights, tutorials, and stories from the innovation ecosystem
How to Win Your First Hackathon: A FAANG Judge's Playbook
Stop obsessing over your tech stack and start acting like a startup founder. Here is exactly what judges are looking for — from a Senior TPM at Amazon who has judged 20+ hackathons worldwide.
Mihir Shelar
Apr 23, 2026 · 4 min read
USAII Global AI Hackathon 2026: How Students Can Register, Team Up & Compete
Step-by-step guide: register on Devpost by June 6, pass the 30-min AI Readiness Qualifier (June 7–10), form a team of 2–5 members, and build during the Hackathon Build Week (June 14–21, 2026). $15,000 prize pool.
What Our AI-First Hackathon Taught Me About the Future of Software Teams
An internal AI-first hackathon (no manual coding via "Slingshot") revealed how AI acceleration creates psychological pressure, hidden technical debt, and why reusable AI tooling is the future of engineering teams.
The People Winning AI Hackathons in 2026 Aren't the Strongest Engineers Anymore
AI tools now handle standard coding patterns — shifting the winning advantage to those with strong product instincts, clear vision, and storytelling ability. Non-engineers are now beating senior devs.
HackCalendar: Must-Attend SF Bay Area AI Hackathons This Weekend
Curated May 8–10 weekend guide to the hottest AI hackathons in the SF Bay Area — who is hosting, prize pools, project tracks, and registration links before spots fill up.
USAII AI Learning Path for High School Students: Compete in Global AI Hackathon 2026
Structured AI roadmap for high school students (Grades 9–12) — CAIP™ certification, AI bootcamps, and a $15,000 prize-pool hackathon open to students from high school through doctoral level.
I Built a Multi-Agent Travel Planner on GCP That Books Your Trip & Adds It to Your Calendar
Built at the Google Gen AI APAC Hackathon 2026 — sequential and parallel agent patterns fetch real flights/buses/cabs from BigQuery, let you pick a trip, then auto-book it on Google Calendar.