The work started by an intensive workshop of the organizing team, putting together the timeline, logistics, challenges and promotional activities. The call for participation was published by the end of April. A series of explanatory videos and our live Q&A, as well as a dedicated Discord channel was there to clarify all the details and answer any questions the participants might have.
The middle of this year was unusually busy even for the B-prepared consortium, as we were organizing the hackathon – the first major event showcasing the possibilities of deep collaboration with our products.
The first round was, after a short extension, finally closed on Jul 31, 2025. After that, a quick but thorough evaluation of the entries took place, where the product teams decided the list of invitees to the finals.
Organizing the finals had its own logistical challenges, arranging travels and accommodation with a tight deadline for so many people travelling from different places on a hectic schedule. Nevertheless, everyone arrived on time to jump right into the preparation day’s activities, testing connections, systems and setting up everything for the big day of the final itself.
On the day of the finals, András László Majdik, Coordinator of B-prepared welcomed the participants in the opening ceremony, presenting them the B-prepared project and the context for the hackathon itself. After that, every participant got the personalized set of tasks, in which they had to enhance their works submitted for the online round, making small improvements or modifications, proving that it was their original work and that they are in full command of it.
Each and every participant dived right into work, as race against time began: they had only 6 hours, and mind you, we did not spare them by the number of tasks. In the middle of the day, lunch arrived in the form of – what else, talking about programmers? – a heap of pizzas 🙂.
You would think that while the contestants were working, the organizing team had nothing else to do than leaning back and making some chit-chat. I can assure you that was not the case. Sorting and wrapping the prizes and the certificates, taking care of the evaluation forms, lunch, coffee and even doing some feedback collection all had to fit into the same timeframe.
But it didn’t end here for participants or organizers: when time was up, there came the presentation section: each and every work was presented by its maker(s). As for the jury, we fell from awe to astonishment, seeing how complex and well-thought-out solutions these people brought to the table, doing it in their free time, some of them entirely on their own. A big round of applause to them from here as well! After the presentations, the jury went around the room, stopping by each and every table to try out the different solutions and have a real touch-and-feel of how those work, checking how much of the day’s tasks was completed and with what success rate.
At this point we finally let the participants go and have a peaceful dinner after a long day, leaving us behind with the daunting task of having to decide, evaluate and rank. Each WP leader and Product Owner had an equal say in the process, first everyone evaluating on their own through a form, then having a consensus meeting to decide in case of a tie. Needless to say, it took more time than expected – in a 25 score evaluation system, literally no one was evaluated below 21, and sometimes the score was only fractions below or above one another. Add to that appointing the winners of the special awards.
Finally, the list was set, the prizes were lined up in order, and the award ceremony could begin. We surprised every participant with a handsome little B-prepared backpack, containing a list of necessary items in case of an emergency. The winners were awarded one by one in a round of well-deserved applause.The event was wrapped up by taking a few pictures together before saying goodbye. We sincerely hope there will be a next time for meeting this cheerful and talented branch of people!
And if you want to see even more, here is a little gallery for you:
Learn more about the hackathon here: https://b-prepared-project.com/hackathon/.
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