If you go into the event hoping to build something productive or that has longevity, it will likely feel like a waste. But that's really not the point of hackat

If you go into the event hoping to build something productive or that has longevity, it will likely feel like a waste. But that's really not the point of hackathons, and seems to be a major factor that people take issue with. Especially for students/new programmers, the goal is to tinker with technology, have fun, and discover like-minded collaborators in a risk-free environment. You might be thinking - hey! a competition isn't risk-free - but really, compared to a work or academic environment there is far less risk involved with building something ambitious or using a technology you are completely unfamiliar with. The best hackathons don't focus on the competitive element, but instead create a system where people are rewarded for ambitious but not perfectly polished work. I wrote another blog post about that here: http://news.mlh.io/are-hackathon-prizes-the-worst-thing-since-moldy-sliced-bread-04-18-2014 http://news.mlh.io/are-hackathon-prizes-the-worst-thing-sinc...