Line Up Great Prizes

Prizes are a great way to reward hackers for their hard work. When selecting them, it’s important to seriously consider why you are giving a prize, what sort of behaviors that prize rewards, and how you can go about motivating those behaviors. No one wants to be seen as a stingy starfish, but prizes say a lot about who you are as a community, why you are there in the first place, and they influence the vibe of your event — big time.

Prize Ideas

Gear – Cool Items To Use With Future Hacks

• Oculus Rift

• Arduino kit

• Sphero

• Google Glass

• Unreleased hardware

• Rechargeable battery packs

• Laptop, tablet, etc.

• Drones

• Parts or Gift Cards for Inventables, Sparkfun, or Adafruit

Experiences – A Memorable, One-time Adventure With Friends

• Movie Tickets

• Trip to Medieval Times or an amusement park

• A trip somewhere (may cost $1000/person, but still less overall than many cash prizes)

• Lunch with your hero

• Laser tag tournament

• Conference tickets

• Company trip – visit and hang out with your favorite companies for a day

Novelty – Things Hackers Love, But Might Not Buy For Themselves

• Retro Video Games

• Custom Trophies

• Foursquare Title Belt

• Limited Edition Swag

• Personalized action figures

• Geeky posters

• Office Warfare gear (ping pong ball launcher, nerf guns, etc.)

• ThisIsWhyImBroke.com

• ThinkGeek.com

MLH Tips

• MLH doesn’t recommend cash prizes.

• Order prizes early — many cool items will be back-ordered.

Resources

• Article: Are Hackathon Prizes the Worst Thing Since Moldy Sliced Bread?