We’re excited to announce the official launch of the 2021 Major League Hacking Hackathon Season! Our 2021 Season will run from August 2020 through June 2021 and will feature amazing student hackathons worldwide.
We know the traditional hackathon will likely look different this season, but we’re looking forward to exploring this new digital space with you. We don’t yet know when in-person events may resume, but we will be putting out more guidance and information over the rest of the year as the situation continues to develop. But from what we’ve seen so far, virtual hackathons are an incredibly fun, inspiring experience for hackers and organizers alike and we’re ready and excited to continue supporting everyone as we adapt to this new environment for the Fall semester.
If you’re ready to sign up for your first event of the new Season, our season schedule has the most up to date list of Member Events. Be sure to keep a close eye on our season schedule, as we’ll be adding many more great events to our roster over the next few months. For real-time updates on events as they are added, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
What is a hackathon?
If you’re asking yourself, “What is a hackathon?,” you’re not alone! Thousands of students just like you are discovering and attending hackathons for the first time every year. Hackathons are invention marathons where attendees dream up and bring to life ideas for apps, websites, robots, and more.
Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been programming for years, hackathons are a great place to learn new skills, build your network, find jobs, and have fun.
The 2020 Season Recap
The 2020 Hackathon Season has been an incredible journey. Last year, we empowered tens of thousands of hackers across nearly 200 hackathons where they created over 9,000 projects!
Here’s a look back at some of our favorite moments:
We launched our APAC League!
MLH expanded this year and officially launched our Asia-Pacific league! Our first APAC hackathon was hackCBS, which was attended by almost 1,000 hackers! Over the course of the season, we partnered with seven unique events across India, Nepal, and Singapore.
Events went Digital!
In light of COVID-19, many events transitioned to a digital format this spring. Our first digital event, HackTech, made the decision to go digital just five days before their event. They worked tirelessly to make the online hacking experience impactful for hackers, while paving the way for dozens of digital events to follow. Soon after, we partnered with Hack Quarantine, the largest hacker response to COVID-19 in the 2020 season, as well as hack:now, the largest weekend-long digital event of the season.
Organizers Focused on Diversity and Inclusion
Major League Hacking organizers are focused on creating inclusive spaces for hackers. Throughout the 2020 season, we partnered with 16 events centered around supporting hackers from underrepresented groups in technology. We had the chance to empower hackers at new events like QWER Hacks and GirlHacks, as well as old favorites like Technica and TechTogether Boston.
Sign up for one of the first 2021 Season events listed below to Learn, Build, and Share with hackers from around the world. We can’t wait to see what you build!
Upcoming Events
And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for! Here are the first group of events of the official Major League Hacking 2021 Hackathon Season:
MedHacks – September 4-6
Join us at MedHacks 2020, Johns Hopkins’ medical hackathon, as we gather students and professionals from fields of technology and healthcare from all over the world to participate in 36 hours of endless creativity, innovating solutions for modern day healthcare issues. Visit their website to learn more about changes to this year’s hackathon and to apply for their event in September 2020.
sunhacks – October 9-11
sunhacks will host a stream from their live studio at ASU this year. They will have online workshops, tech talks, events, and a sponsorship fair for a worldwide community of hackers.
HackGT 7 – October 16-18
Reimagine reality this fall at HackGT 7! This year, they’ll be welcoming 2,500 participants from all over to win bigger prizes, learn new things, and create new worlds. Their first ever virtual event will redefine what it means to have an incredible hacker experience—and we hope you’ll join them on their next great adventure!
DubHacks – October 17-18
DubHacks is the largest 24-hour collegiate hackathon in the Pacific Northwest hosted at the University of Washington in Seattle. They bring together students of all backgrounds to develop accessible and inclusive solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.
VandyHacks – October 2-4
VandyHacks is back this fall with VandyHacks VII! Join them (virtually), and create exciting projects, stream their workshops, meet other fellow hackers at game night, and win awesome prizes – all from the comfort of your own home.
HackTheMidlands – October 22-25
HackTheMidlands is an inclusive hackathon open to anyone, of any skill levels – you don’t have to be a professional or a student; just be lovely, passionate and interested in tech! This year they’re moving online, and are doing everything they can to make this incredible for y’all – it’s going to be great! The organizing team’s ethos is that everyone can get involved (yes, you!), and they’re really looking forward to seeing you
Visit the season schedule to view all the events that are currently part of the 2021 MLH Hackathon Season and sign up. We’ll be adding many more events throughout the summer, so be sure to check back regularly.
If you’re itching to get hacking before the first event of the 2021 season in August, MLH is hosting hackathons every weekend this summer as part of our Summer League. Be sure to sign up for these if you want to get started hacking before the 2021 Season launches!
Interested in bringing a hackathon to your school?
Want to bring a hackathon to your local community? You can apply now for your hackathon to become a Member Event or email league@mlh.io to learn more about the application process.
Questions or comments? Email us at hi@mlh.io and we’ll get back to you soon!
Happy Hacking!