Hackathon Planning

Hackathons are a core activity of the Data Science Without Borders (DSWB) Project, bringing together researchers, students, and practitioners across its Pathfinder countries to solve pressing data challenges. While the planning process often follows a similar structure—covering logistics, mentorship, and technical infrastructure—the expected outcomes can vary significantly. Some hackathons focus on skill-building and collaboration, while others are designed to create reusable tools for long-term impact and to influence research.

Regardless of the diversity in hackathon outcomes, at DSWB, we have a template to enable organisers to ensure that Participants are adequately accommodated and informed about the hackathon processes.

Some of the documents we use are our Participant Agreement template and our Code of Conduct.

Participant Agreement:¶

Code of Conduct:¶

Case Studies¶

Below you can find hackathon guidelines for prior hackathons hosted by members of the Data Science Without Borders (DSWB) Project:

• Bhattacharjee, T. (2025). Bridging Records: A Handbook for AI-Based Hackathon on Retrospective Record Linkage. Zenodo. Bhattacharjee (2025)