You can put the rules in - some of your suggestions are already standard in many hackathons, but I doubt it would make much of a difference. Many hackathons ar

You can put the rules in - some of your suggestions are already standard in many hackathons, but I doubt it would make much of a difference. Many hackathons are judged or attended by major investors, so the incentive to cheat is extraordinary. The last hackathon I went to there were several teams that clearly had everything lined up ahead of time and were there to pitch, and I doubt you can get rid of this without getting rid of the investors. More than that, many hackathons pride themselves on being interesting for investors, so they're incentivized to look the other way so that the presentations are as impressive/fundable as possible. I don't think I'll be going to another hackathon for a good long while - the combination of people who seem to have no interest in the spirit of hacking on stuff, and the incredibly toxic culture I saw (getting smashed, pounding back energy drinks, flying drones around annoying people, nerf gun fights through the hallways, it was like a goddamn freshman dorm but sweatier and somehow more childish), makes me completely not interested at all.