Great writeup. I totally agree with a lot of the things you're saying. I think the simplest fix is to start shifting the focus away from the negative competit

Great writeup. I totally agree with a lot of the things you're saying. I think the simplest fix is to start shifting the focus away from the negative competitive aspects. Large cash prizes are a great example of one that we could do away with. As you suggested, focusing on non-monetary or community incentives would be a great alternative and the whole hackathon scene could benefit from that. You should check out this talk I gave about hackathons a few months back. We definitely seem to be singing a similar tune. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocY70UORNsk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocY70UORNsk Also, thanks for the Major League Hacking shout out!