What is HackNotts?

HackNotts is a 24 hour hackathon, a coding and general tech challenge for teams of up to 4 to create a cool thing in a short time.

Where is HackNotts?

HackNotts will take place in the Computer Science building at the University of Nottingham's Jubilee Campus, right next to the lake. For directions and more, see here.

When is HackNotts?

HackNotts will start at 9am on Saturday the 12^th of February, 2022, and hacking starts at midday on Saturday until midday on Sunday. There will be a few more hours for judging and the closing ceremony.

Who can attend?

Anybody who's a current student, or has graduated from any University in the last year is welcome to attend, regardless of skill level or anything else.

How do I sign up?

Tickets are available here!

What can I do at HackNotts?

The main event is the coding competition, of course, but there are lots of things to keep you entertained throughout the weekend. We'll be holding workshops where you can learn new skills and technologies, and we'll also have games in case you need a break from all the coding.

Do I get free stuff??

You do get free stuff! There'll be free food (you don't need to bring any food at all, but you absolutely can.) There'll also be lots of free swag. Stickers, pens, lanyards, stickers, more stickers. Also prizes!

How does judging work?

When you've finished your project, you can enter into as many prize categories as you like. A winner is selected for each prize, either by ourselves or for our sponsored prizes, our sponsors. Each team will demonstrate their project after hacking ends.

Do I need to bring food? Drinks?

You do not need to bring food and drink, all that will be provided for you free of charge. We have lunch, dinner, pizza, and breakfast. We also have drinks and snacks for the duration of the event. You can bring your own if you want, though. Energy drinks are not necessarily a bad idea.

Do I need a team?

You do not need a team to participate. You can submit a project on your own, or you can join our team building activities towards the beginning of the event to meet some people to work with!

What if I don't know how to code?

No worries, hackathons are a great place to get into coding. Almost everybody there will be happy to help you get started, especially if you join a team. We even have a beginners prize, so you won't just be up against people who've been coding for half their lives. Also, you could contribute to your team by doing non-coding things like graphics or music, if that's more your thing.

So I have to work on my project for 24 hours straight?

Not at all! 24 hours are allocated for hacking, but it's highly recommended that you sleep for at least a few hours. Of course, some people will write code for the full 24 hours, but it's certainly not essential...

Can I start working on my idea now?

No, sorry. Well, you can, but in order for your project to be submitted for judging, you can only work on your project once hacking commences at 12:00 on Saturday. Of course, you can use existing code you've written before, so there are probably loopholes, but that's cheating >:(.

Can I not get involved before the event, then?

You can! As soon as you have your ticket, feel free to join us on the HackNotts Discord server and get involved.

Also, if you'd like to volunteer to help out on the day instead of hacking, that would be brilliant! Just grab yourself a volunteer ticket instead of a hacker one!

I still have questions!

For any other questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].