Changes

<span style="font-size:mediumsmall;">Hackathons can revolve around a single topic or platform. One way to begin to think of your hackathon subject is to analyze your campus or city. Does your school specialize in technology? What is your city’s main export? By starting with a familiar topic, an entry point is created for students to come and hypothesize about factors that influence their daily lives. Something to remember is not to make the topic too specific at risk of isolating potential participants.</span>

<span style="font-size:mediumsmall;">Something to consider when planning your hackathon is the audience. Are you only including students? Outside members of the community? Both have their advantages, but if the hackathon is based around a certain tech platform taught in a university, it might be a good idea to limit it to students or else some outside participants might be unprepared.</span>

<span style="font-size:mediumsmall;">Finally, when planning a theme, you must make sure your topic is versatile enough to challenge students and inspire a variety of ideas. For example, instead of instructing students to prototype a smart water filter, encourage them to evaluate the idea of clean water in general—not just filters, but also methods of storage, transport, etc.</span>