Hackathon registration form

For an open hackathon, registration should take two minutes: name, what they'd like to work on, experience level, practical needs and contact. This template keeps it to that and leaves scoring off, so everyone who signs up is in.

The questions, and why they're asked

In this order: the name first, the substance next, contact details and links last.

1. 1

   Full name

   In the chat: “First, what's your name?”

   Asked first and alone, so the chat can greet people properly before anything else.

2. 2

   What would you like to work on?optional

   In the chat: “Any idea what you'd like to work on? A rough direction is fine.”

   One short open question makes it feel like a conversation and helps you prepare tracks.

3. 3

   Experience level

   In the chat: “How much have you built before?”

   Lets you plan mentors and beginner workshops.

   Options: This is my first hackathon · A few projects · I build things all the time

4. 4

   Dietary needs or accessibility requirementsoptional

   In the chat: “Anything we should know for food or accessibility?”

   Optional and plain. Nobody should have to email you about this separately.

5. 5

   Email address

   In the chat: “What's the best email to reach you?”

   Asked near the end, once people are invested. The chat confirms it and catches typos like gmial.com.

Common mistakes

• Asking selection questions for an open event. If everyone gets in, don't make them write essays.
• Forgetting dietary and accessibility needs, then chasing people by email the week before.

A good answer and a weak one

For “Any idea what you'd like to work on? A rough direction is fine.”