Frequently Asked Questions
Wait, what actually is a hackathon?
A hackathon is an event where teams work on a project inspired by an
event-provided theme. You will have 24 hours to develop something
cool at Mountain Madness. Your team will start from scratch and try
to make the coolest thing they can before the time is up.
Where is Mountain Madness?
Registration and administration is at TASC 9204 on SFU's Burnaby
Campus. You are free to hack at other open locations on campus.
Why should I participate?
You get experience with new technologies and navigate teamwork
dynamics to accomplish a goal. Hackathon projects are also a great
addition to a resume!
I am in my first year/don't have much experience, should I still
participate?
Yes! This hackathon is a great learning opportunity for people with
less development experience.
Do I need to stay during the entire event?
No! You may leave and enter the venue whenever (note that most doors
are locked during the weekend). You can spend as much or as little
of the 24 hours as you wish. If you get tired, we will have sleeping
rooms available for you. Sleep still matters!
How do we declare teams?
You do not need to know your team when you
register. You can form groups before or during the hackathon. When
you give us your submission GitHub/GitLab link you will declare your
group members.
Will there be food?
Yes! We will be providing food for in person attendees.
Can I have Non-SFU people and Alumni join my team?
Yes! We will allow groups to be made up of non-SFU students however
we want a majority (> 50%) of the team to be made up of SFU
students. So a group of 5 can have up to 2 non-SFU participants.
Can I work on my previous projects?
No, we want you to create awesome things from scratch in 24 hours.
Starting from an existing project is against the spirit of the
event. Existing open-source libraries and frameworks are fine, of
course. Ask an organizer if you are unsure.
What size should my team be?
Teams can have between 1 and 5 members inclusive. You can work alone
if you really want to, but struggling with your team is an essential
hackathon experience! We will run a team formation event before the
event for you to form teams. From past experience groups of 3 work
well!
How much does it cost?
$5 + fees.
This includes two meals and the opportunity to win prizes. If this
poses a barrier to entry to you please reach out to us at
csss-hackathonchair@sfu.ca
Winners
The following teams were awarded prizes for their exceptional
projects. Congratulations to the winning teams, and everyone that
attended the hackathon!
First place: PeakBuddies
By
Zachary Chan, Kian Hosseinkhani, Kiaan Castillo, Peiman Zhiani
See Project
Second place: Droppr
By Micah Baker, Nakul Bansal, Johnny Deng, Simon Purdon
See Project
Third place: Jake's Journey
By Cole McKee, Shane Hickson, Christian Cho, Arya Akhavein
See Project
Best Presentation: Take the Scenic Route
By
Dennis Kritchko, Julian Loewenherz, Louise Ho, Lacey Swamy, Artin
Shahpoori
See Project
Most Mountainous: Raccoon Game
By
Evan Chen, Emmy Fong, Keira Liu, Sophia Chipeco, Pimkwan Somchit
See Project
Most Entertaining: Moving Mountains
By
Jackilyn Mcgarry, Tianying Mu, Rio Samson, Saketh Poori, Zachary
Syvenky
See Project
Tetris Competition Winner: Open-WebUI
By Danny Liu (Contributor to Open-WebUI)
Shameless Plug
With <3 from the CSSS