Internal Hackathons: How to Organize an Internal Hackathon?

In recent years, multiple avenues have opened up for successful tech hiring and hackathons are one of everyone’s favorites. Apart from helping various tech corporations gain skilled employees, hackathons have also helped generate great ideas that furthered the growth of businesses.

Typically hackathons are external, meaning they are held for individuals who are not part of the company but are seeking to be. On the other hand, internal hackathons are held for individuals who are a part of the company. The duration of these hackathons can be anywhere from a few hours to a few days and are held for several reasons, such as generating innovative ideas and products while improving employee engagement.

What are Internal hackathons?

In simple words, internal hackathons are tech-related events held by companies to drive internal engagement, break the clutter, promote skill development, and help boost innovation within the company.

After a hackathon ends, the winner is decided by a board of jury and is offered a variety of rewards for the same. It could either be an offer to bring their product or software to life or it could be a monetary reward.

Also, read: How Hackathons Can Help You Attract, Engage, Hire, And Train Top Talent

What is the Purpose of an Internal Hackathon?

Internal hackathons serve as a creative platform within an organization to bring together employees from different departments to collaborate, innovate, and solve real business problems. The primary purpose is to stimulate fresh ideas, encourage cross-functional teamwork, and identify hidden talent among employees.

These events foster a culture of innovation and open communication, allowing participants to experiment with new concepts and technologies without the constraints of their regular job roles. Additionally, internal hackathons help companies explore potential solutions to existing problems or uncover new business opportunities that may not have been considered otherwise. By the end of the hackathon, not only does the organization gain novel ideas, but it also boosts employee morale and creates a sense of ownership and pride in contributing to the company’s progress.

How Do You Organize an Internal Hackathon?

Organizing a successful internal hackathon involves careful planning and clear communication. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure a smooth and impactful event:

Define the Objectives: Start by setting clear goals for the hackathon. Are you looking to solve a specific problem, enhance a product feature, or simply encourage creativity? Defining the purpose will guide all other aspects of planning.
Form a Planning Committee: Assemble a small team to handle the logistics, from securing a venue to arranging the necessary tools and technologies. This team will also be responsible for promoting the event internally and managing participants.
Set Rules and Themes: Establish the rules, format, and themes for the hackathon. Decide if the event will be open-ended or focused on specific challenges. Make sure the guidelines are clear to encourage meaningful contributions.
Select Participants: Open the hackathon to employees across various departments. Diversity in teams can lead to more innovative solutions. To foster collaboration, consider forming teams of employees with different skill sets.
Provide Resources: Ensure participants have access to the necessary tools, software, and data to work on their projects. A dedicated workspace, reliable Wi-Fi, and refreshments can go a long way in keeping participants energized and focused.
Schedule the Event: Plan a timeline for the hackathon, whether it’s a one-day sprint or spread out over a week. Include time for brainstorming, development, presentation, and judging.
Arrange for Judges and Prizes: Invite a panel of judges consisting of executives, department heads, or industry experts to evaluate the projects. Offering prizes or incentives can boost engagement and add an element of friendly competition.
Plan Post-Hackathon Activities: After the event, provide teams with feedback, announce winners, and discuss the next steps for implementing viable ideas. This follow-up process helps maintain momentum and shows the company’s commitment to employee-driven innovation.

Types of Internal Hackathons with Examples

Internal hackathons can take on various forms, depending on the goals of the company. Here are a few common types, along with examples:

Product Innovation Hackathons:
Focused on creating new features, improving existing products, or even developing completely new products. For example, a software company might hold a hackathon for its developers to design new app functionalities, with the aim of adding value to the user experience.
Process Improvement Hackathons:
These hackathons aim to streamline internal processes, such as automating repetitive tasks or improving workflow efficiency. An example is a financial institution conducting a hackathon to develop a tool that simplifies data entry and reporting, reducing manual errors.
Cultural or Social Good Hackathons:
These events focus on building a sense of community within the company or working on projects that have a social impact. For instance, a company might host a hackathon where employees develop solutions to make the workplace more inclusive, or tools to support local charitable initiatives.
Technical Skill-Building Hackathons:
Designed to help employees enhance their technical skills in a fun and collaborative way. An example would be an IT company organizing a hackathon to learn and experiment with new technologies like blockchain or artificial intelligence.
Cross-Departmental Hackathons:
Encourages collaboration between different departments, such as marketing, sales, development, and HR, to tackle company-wide challenges. For example, a retailer might hold a hackathon involving both its technical and business teams to find ways to improve customer experience across digital platforms.

By choosing the right type of internal hackathon, companies can align the event’s objectives with their broader strategic goals while providing a rewarding experience for employees.

Benefits of conducting an internal hackathons:

There are great benefits to hosting internal hackathons, let’s take a look at a few of them:

Encourage and drive innovation

Internal hackathons will bring out the best in your employees, there is no doubt about that. With great rewards at stake, you can be sure that every participant will bring out their best game. More often than not, people tend to whip out extremely unique solutions to abstract problems while in a competitive environment.

Hackathon is a cost-effective way of getting every team in the organization involved in hopes of discussing and generating ideas that align with the organization’s goals. Apart from giving innovative minds a much-required boost, it also helps drive engagement.

Improved learning experience

If you are looking to target specific skills then internal hackathons may just be what you need. It gives the employees and other individuals of the company a chance to try out new tools and new frameworks and also allows them to think of a unique solution for abstract problems. It provides the employees with a safe space for them to showcase skills without being under any pressure.

Whatever solution seems to work the best can be incorporated later by the organization’s employees. This way it helps the organization streamline quite a few of its processes as well.

Continued exposure to learning is extremely important for individuals as they do not end up stagnating their skills and capabilities. This further helps the help organization decrease its turnover rates as well.

Inclusion and diversity

Internal hackathons help drive inclusion and diversity. People from different backgrounds and different teams come together to bring about solutions that can further help the organization move forward.

Try to involve the entire organization rather than just technical teams, this helps in giving the entire organization’s employees a broader perspective and helps them work together and bring about viable solutions that can further help them and the organization.

Additionally, people feel free together voices any concerns they may have as there is no higher kill role present in an internal hackathon

Encourages internal networking

In a time where quite a few organizations work remotely, it is essential to get the teams to interact with each other. This can be done by bringing them together for events such as these.Additionally, internal hacked ones are not your everyday formal office interactions. Internal hackathons can help build productivity and help the organization move toward its objectives. Internal hackathons result in increased employee engagement and happiness and there are several pieces of research that state that happier employees always result in low turnover rates for organizations.

Also, read: Virtual Hackathons: All You Need To Know

Healthy competition

Comes as no surprise that internal hackathons help drive competition within organizations and with multiple rewards being at stake encourage the employee to work harder and smarter to come up with abstract solutions for any given problem.Healthy competition always gives birth to creating innovation, this comes as no surprise. The same goes for internal hackathons, almost every internal hackathon has a great reward for the employees and the organization waiting at the end. Companies that innovate via hackathons

Identify employee skills

This is one of the best reasons to hold an internal hackathon at your organization. It gives organizations a chance to review their employees and their skills.More often than not, individuals possess skills that can help the organization move forward. As a manager or a higher-up in the organization, you should be able to identify such talent across the organization. Once identified, you can help them hone the skills to help them grow and your employee will use those skills for the benefit of the organization.Doing this also helps increase employee retention rates, in other words, your employees' loyalty toward the company will do nothing but increase.

Final thoughts

Internal hackathons are a great way of furthering the success of your organization as well as your employees. From being creative with solutions to promoting internal networking, internal hackathons can help a lot.It can help organizations retain their employees, improve employee satisfaction rates, help them be more creative, create a safe environment for the growth of employees, and much more.So why don't you give it a try? And why don't you choose HackerEarth's hackathon platform?It's got amazing functionality and features! From hackathon promotion to evaluation/analysis support, we've got everything covered for you.

Internal Hackathons FAQs

What is an internal hackathon?

An internal hackathon is an event where employees within a company collaborate intensively on software projects. It's a creative and productive way to foster innovation, team building, and problem-solving skills among tech teams.

How do internal hackathons drive innovation?

Internal hackathons encourage participants to think outside the box and explore new ideas and technologies. This environment of unrestricted creativity leads to the development of innovative solutions to existing problems or the creation of entirely new products.

What are the benefits of hosting an internal hackathon?

Benefits include improved employee engagement, enhanced collaboration across different departments, rapid problem-solving, skill development, and the potential to uncover hidden talents within your organization.

How long does a typical internal hackathon last?

The duration can vary, but most internal hackathons last between 24 to 48 hours. This time frame allows participants to dive deep into projects without disrupting regular work schedules significantly.

Who can participate in an internal hackathon?

While primarily designed for tech teams, employees from all departments can participate. Involving a diverse group can lead to more creative solutions and better team cohesion.

Do participants need to have coding skills to join?

Not necessarily. Participants can contribute in various ways, such as idea generation, project management, design, and testing. It's about collaboration and leveraging each team member's strengths.

How are projects chosen for the hackathon?

Projects can be proposed by participants or pre-selected by organizers. In some cases, a theme is provided, and teams develop projects aligned with that theme.

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Gain insights to optimize your developer recruitment process.

Hackathons

Vibe Coding: Shaping the Future of Software

A New Era of Code

Vibe coding is a new method of using natural language prompts and AI tools to generate code. I have seen firsthand that this change makes software more accessible to everyone. In the past, being able to produce functional code was a strong advantage for developers. Today, when code is produced quickly through AI, the true value lies in designing, refining, and optimizing systems. Our role now goes beyond writing code; we must also ensure that our systems remain efficient and reliable.

From Machine Language to Natural Language

I recall the early days when every line of code was written manually. We progressed from machine language to high-level programming, and now we are beginning to interact with our tools using natural language. This development does not only increase speed but also changes how we approach problem solving. Product managers can now create working demos in hours instead of weeks, and founders have a clearer way of pitching their ideas with functional prototypes. It is important for us to rethink our role as developers and focus on architecture and system design rather than simply on typing code.

The Promise and the Pitfalls

I have experienced both sides of vibe coding. In cases where the goal was to build a quick prototype or a simple internal tool, AI-generated code provided impressive results. Teams have been able to test new ideas and validate concepts much faster. However, when it comes to more complex systems that require careful planning and attention to detail, the output from AI can be problematic. I have seen situations where AI produces large volumes of code that become difficult to manage without significant human intervention.

AI-powered coding tools like GitHub Copilot and AWS’s Q Developer have demonstrated significant productivity gains. For instance, at the National Australia Bank, it’s reported that half of the production code is generated by Q Developer, allowing developers to focus on higher-level problem-solving . Similarly, platforms like Lovable enable non-coders to build viable tech businesses using natural language prompts, contributing to a shift where AI-generated code reduces the need for large engineering teams. However, there are challenges. AI-generated code can sometimes be verbose or lack the architectural discipline required for complex systems. While AI can rapidly produce prototypes or simple utilities, building large-scale systems still necessitates experienced engineers to refine and optimize the code.

The Economic Impact

The democratization of code generation is altering the economic landscape of software development. As AI tools become more prevalent, the value of average coding skills may diminish, potentially affecting salaries for entry-level positions. Conversely, developers who excel in system design, architecture, and optimization are likely to see increased demand and compensation.
Seizing the Opportunity

Vibe coding is most beneficial in areas such as rapid prototyping and building simple applications or internal tools. It frees up valuable time that we can then invest in higher-level tasks such as system architecture, security, and user experience. When used in the right context, AI becomes a helpful partner that accelerates the development process without replacing the need for skilled engineers.

This is revolutionizing our craft, much like the shift from machine language to assembly to high-level languages did in the past. AI can churn out code at lightning speed, but remember, “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” Use AI for rapid prototyping, but it’s your expertise that transforms raw output into robust, scalable software. By honing our skills in design and architecture, we ensure our work remains impactful and enduring. Let’s continue to learn, adapt, and build software that stands the test of time.

Ready to streamline your recruitment process? Get a free demo to explore cutting-edge solutions and resources for your hiring needs.

Tech Assessment

Guide to Conducting Successful System Design Interviews in 2025

What is Systems Design?

Systems Design is an all encompassing term which encapsulates both frontend and backend components harmonized to define the overall architecture of a product.

Designing robust and scalable systems requires a deep understanding of application, architecture and their underlying components like networks, data, interfaces and modules.

Systems Design, in its essence, is a blueprint of how software and applications should work to meet specific goals. The multi-dimensional nature of this discipline makes it open-ended – as there is no single one-size-fits-all solution to a system design problem.

What is a System Design Interview?

Conducting a System Design interview requires recruiters to take an unconventional approach and look beyond right or wrong answers. Recruiters should aim for evaluating a candidate’s ‘systemic thinking’ skills across three key aspects:

How they navigate technical complexity and navigate uncertainty
How they meet expectations of scale, security and speed
How they focus on the bigger picture without losing sight of details

This assessment of the end-to-end thought process and a holistic approach to problem-solving is what the interview should focus on.

What are some common topics for a System Design Interview

System design interview questions are free-form and exploratory in nature where there is no right or best answer to a specific problem statement. Here are some common questions:

How would you approach the design of a social media app or video app?

What are some ways to design a search engine or a ticketing system?

How would you design an API for a payment gateway?

What are some trade-offs and constraints you will consider while designing systems?

What is your rationale for taking a particular approach to problem solving?

Usually, interviewers base the questions depending on the organization, its goals, key competitors and a candidate’s experience level.

For senior roles, the questions tend to focus on assessing the computational thinking, decision making and reasoning ability of a candidate. For entry level job interviews, the questions are designed to test the hard skills required for building a system architecture.

The Difference between a System Design Interview and a Coding Interview

If a coding interview is like a map that takes you from point A to Z – a systems design interview is like a compass which gives you a sense of the right direction.

Here are three key difference between the two:

Coding challenges follow a linear interviewing experience i.e. candidates are given a problem and interaction with recruiters is limited. System design interviews are more lateral and conversational, requiring active participation from interviewers.

Coding interviews or challenges focus on evaluating the technical acumen of a candidate whereas systems design interviews are oriented to assess problem solving and interpersonal skills.

Coding interviews are based on a right/wrong approach with ideal answers to problem statements while a systems design interview focuses on assessing the thought process and the ability to reason from first principles.

How to Conduct an Effective System Design Interview

One common mistake recruiters make is that they approach a system design interview with the expectations and preparation of a typical coding interview.
Here is a four step framework technical recruiters can follow to ensure a seamless and productive interview experience:

Step 1: Understand the subject at hand

Develop an understanding of basics of system design and architecture
Familiarize yourself with commonly asked systems design interview questions
Read about system design case studies for popular applications
Structure the questions and problems by increasing magnitude of difficulty

Step 2: Prepare for the interview

Plan the extent of the topics and scope of discussion in advance
Clearly define the evaluation criteria and communicate expectations
Quantify constraints, inputs, boundaries and assumptions
Establish the broader context and a detailed scope of the exercise

Step 3: Stay actively involved

Ask follow-up questions to challenge a solution
Probe candidates to gauge real-time logical reasoning skills
Make it a conversation and take notes of important pointers and outcomes
Guide candidates with hints and suggestions to steer them in the right direction

Step 4: Be a collaborator

Encourage candidates to explore and consider alternative solutions
Work with the candidate to drill the problem into smaller tasks
Provide context and supporting details to help candidates stay on track
Ask follow-up questions to learn about the candidate’s experience

Technical recruiters and hiring managers should aim for providing an environment of positive reinforcement, actionable feedback and encouragement to candidates.

Evaluation Rubric for Candidates

Facilitate Successful System Design Interview Experiences with FaceCode

FaceCode, HackerEarth’s intuitive and secure platform, empowers recruiters to conduct system design interviews in a live coding environment with HD video chat.

FaceCode comes with an interactive diagram board which makes it easier for interviewers to assess the design thinking skills and conduct communication assessments using a built-in library of diagram based questions.

With FaceCode, you can combine your feedback points with AI-powered insights to generate accurate, data-driven assessment reports in a breeze. Plus, you can access interview recordings and transcripts anytime to recall and trace back the interview experience.

Learn how FaceCode can help you conduct system design interviews and boost your hiring efficiency.

AI Recruiting

How Candidates Use Technology to Cheat in Online Technical Assessments

Impact of Online Assessments in Technical Hiring

In a digitally-native hiring landscape, online assessments have proven to be both a boon and a bane for recruiters and employers.

The ease and efficiency of virtual interviews, take home programming tests and remote coding challenges is transformative. Around 82% of companies use pre-employment assessments as reliable indicators of a candidate's skills and potential.

Online skill assessment tests have been proven to streamline technical hiring and enable recruiters to significantly reduce the time and cost to identify and hire top talent.

In the realm of online assessments, remote assessments have transformed the hiring landscape, boosting the speed and efficiency of screening and evaluating talent. On the flip side, candidates have learned how to use creative methods and AI tools to cheat in tests.

As it turns out, technology that makes hiring easier for recruiters and managers - is also their Achilles' heel.

Cheating in Online Assessments is a High Stakes Problem

With the proliferation of AI in recruitment, the conversation around cheating has come to the forefront, putting recruiters and hiring managers in a bit of a flux.

According to research, nearly 30 to 50 percent of candidates cheat in online assessments for entry level jobs. Even 10% of senior candidates have been reportedly caught cheating.

The problem becomes twofold - if finding the right talent can be a competitive advantage, the consequences of hiring the wrong one can be equally damaging and counter-productive.

As per Forbes, a wrong hire can cost a company around 30% of an employee's salary - not to mention, loss of precious productive hours and morale disruption.

The question that arises is - "Can organizations continue to leverage AI-driven tools for online assessments without compromising on the integrity of their hiring process? "

This article will discuss the common methods candidates use to outsmart online assessments. We will also dive deep into actionable steps that you can take to prevent cheating while delivering a positive candidate experience.

Common Cheating Tactics and How You Can Combat Them

Using ChatGPT and other AI tools to write code
Copy-pasting code using AI-based platforms and online code generators is one of common cheat codes in candidates' books. For tackling technical assessments, candidates conveniently use readily available tools like ChatGPT and GitHub. Using these tools, candidates can easily generate solutions to solve common programming challenges such as:
- Debugging code
- Optimizing existing code
- Writing problem-specific code from scratch
Ways to prevent it
- Enable full-screen mode
- Disable copy-and-paste functionality
- Restrict tab switching outside of code editors
- Use AI to detect code that has been copied and pasted
Enlist external help to complete the assessment

Candidates often seek out someone else to take the assessment on their behalf. In many cases, they also use screen sharing and remote collaboration tools for real-time assistance.

In extreme cases, some candidates might have an off-camera individual present in the same environment for help.

Ways to prevent it
- Verify a candidate using video authentication
- Restrict test access from specific IP addresses
- Use online proctoring by taking snapshots of the candidate periodically
- Use a 360 degree environment scan to ensure no unauthorized individual is present
Using multiple devices at the same time

Candidates attempting to cheat often rely on secondary devices such as a computer, tablet, notebook or a mobile phone hidden from the line of sight of their webcam.

By using multiple devices, candidates can look up information, search for solutions or simply augment their answers.

Ways to prevent it
- Track mouse exit count to detect irregularities
- Detect when a new device or peripheral is connected
- Use network monitoring and scanning to detect any smart devices in proximity
- Conduct a virtual whiteboard interview to monitor movements and gestures
Using remote desktop software and virtual machines

Tech-savvy candidates go to great lengths to cheat. Using virtual machines, candidates can search for answers using a secondary OS while their primary OS is being monitored.

Remote desktop software is another cheating technique which lets candidates give access to a third-person, allowing them to control their device.

With remote desktops, candidates can screen share the test window and use external help.

Ways to prevent it
- Restrict access to virtual machines
- AI-based proctoring for identifying malicious keystrokes
- Use smart browsers to block candidates from using VMs

Future-proof Your Online Assessments With HackerEarth

HackerEarth's AI-powered online proctoring solution is a tested and proven way to outsmart cheating and take preventive measures at the right stage. With HackerEarth's Smart Browser, recruiters can mitigate the threat of cheating and ensure their online assessments are accurate and trustworthy.

Secure, sealed-off testing environment
AI-enabled live test monitoring
Enterprise-grade, industry leading compliance
Built-in features to track, detect and flag cheating attempts

Boost your hiring efficiency and conduct reliable online assessments confidently with HackerEarth's revolutionary Smart Browser.

How to Organize an Internal Hackathon: Drive Innovation And Increase Engagement In Tech Teams