Hackathon Judge Opportunities

Apply through any active event listed in 'Current Hackathon Judge Opportunities' above. Each event has a dedicated judge application that takes about 5 minutes. We confirm your role within a few days, then send a short training video and the scoring rubric before the event.

Plan on 4–6 hours total: a 30-minute orientation, ~2 hours reviewing 4-minute pitch videos asynchronously the week before, and 2–3 hours of live demo evaluations on the final day of the hackathon. We require judges to attend the live demo block in person whenever the event is in person.

We strongly prefer in-person judging during the live demo block — direct teams Q&A is where the real evaluation happens. Remote judging is available for the asynchronous video review portion. For in-person hackathons, plan to arrive by 2pm on the final day.

Any professional software, data, security, or product background works. Most of our judges are senior engineers, engineering managers, founders, or technical PMs. The scoring rubric (Scope, Documentation, Polish, Security) is designed so any technologist can evaluate fairly — you don't need to be a domain expert in every project.

No — judging is a volunteer role. Many judges use it for ESG / corporate-volunteer-time programs at their employer, and we provide an attendance letter on request. Your sponsorship company can also secure dedicated judge slots through the corporate program.

Four equal categories scored 1–10: Scope (community impact + problem complexity), Documentation (code/UX clarity + ease of understanding), Polish (work remaining + production readiness), and Security (data protection + role-based access). Try the interactive scorecard above to practice.

Yes. Our Corporate Judge Programs provide guaranteed judging seats for sponsor company teams as part of a sponsorship package. This is a popular professional-development perk and counts toward ESG goals. See the corporate sponsorship section above.

First-time judges are welcome. We pair new judges with experienced judges in the live demo block, send a short training video covering the rubric, and have a head judge available for tie-breaks and edge cases throughout the event.