Join the MLH Hackathon Season.
Join the MLH league of hackathons and we’ll support you every step of the way.
Get Started Guidelines Office HoursEach year, we support over 200 weekend-long invention competitions that inspire innovation, cultivate communities and teach computer science skills to more than 65,000 students around the world.
MLH Member Event Benefits
By becoming an MLH Member Event you get access to all of these base benefits!
Community
Join a global community of organizers who are passionate about empowering hackers though hackathons. Your team will receive discounted tickets to Hackcon, our annual conference for hackathon organizers. You’ll also be able to share some of the local hacker initiatives you’ve been working on through our monthly newsletter and MLH Community Discord.
Pre-Event Support
Our team of Hackathon Community managers advises over 250 hackathons on planning their event every year. We provide a variety of resources leading up to your event that include our Organizer Guide, regular advice calls, and much more. You can tap into the MLH team's expert advice and mentorship when you need it.
Day-of Benefits
Our team will be there at your event to support your team and make sure it is extra special for hackers. We will help your event run smoothly as well as provide event resources like hardware and prizes.
Before Your Hackathon
Dedicated Support & Mentorship
Our team of Community Managers supports hundreds of Member Events every year. We've helped organizers like you handle all sorts of problems and questions. You may participate in Peer Groups to learn the team's expert advice and receive mentorship when you need it in a 1-on-1 environment.
Season Schedule Listing & Promotion
We’ll list your event on the official MLH Season schedule. Hundreds of thousands of hackers and sponsors visit this page every single year and use it to discover the events they want to participate in. We’ll also promote your event to hundreds of thousands of hackers and sponsors via social media and/or the MLH monthly newsletter.
Preferred Vendors & Discounts
Organizing a great hackathon can be expensive. To help you save time and money, we have vetted and partnered with amazing vendors that are offering exclusive discounts and priority access to Member Events.
Templates and Tutorials
Over the years, we’ve created a library of templates and tutorials for all organizers to use while planning and hosting their event. We’ve recognized some pain points for organizers, such as organizing finances and judging, so we’ve created these templates including a budget, sponsor list, judging, and more.
During Your Hackathon
On-site Support
We’ll send an MLH representative to your event to act as an extension of your organizing team. They have a lot of expertise and experience with organizing hackathons and are there to help make sure your event runs smoothly. This is available for both physical and digital events.
Judging Support
We know that judging is one of the most stressful periods during a hackathon. Our MLH representative on-site can assist you with running demos and judging during your event in a fair, standardized way.
Prizes
All Member Events are provided with special prizes to hand out to hackers such as pins for winners and select MLH category prizes (such as “Best Domain.com Domain Name” or “Best Use of Google Cloud Platform”).
Software Lab
Every hacker who participates in a Member Event will have special access to discounts and freebies to APIs and developer tools through the MLH Software Lab. This includes services like web hosting credit to free domain names and more.
MLH Emergency Budget
If you overshoot your predetermined attendance target by overbooking up to 200% and exhausted all of your emergency budget funds on the day-of your event, we'll cover the difference in food or event costs (up to $1,000) to make sure your event doesn't go over budget. See our Membership Guidelines from more details on eligibility.
MyMLH Support
Member Events who utilize MyMLH for registration will receive priority support for setup and troubleshooting from our engineering team. MyMLH is an OAuth API that makes registering for hackathons a breeze for hackers by storing their information in a centralized MLH Database which allows them to easily share it with multiple events.
Season and Sponsor Swag
Your event will receive assorted swag including Season stickers, event specific “I Demoed” stickers, MLH Stickers, GitHub stickers, and feminine hygiene products. Events may also receive assorted swag from MLH Season sponsors such as pens and t-shirts.
Mini-Events
Our MLH representative on-site will run a 1 hour mini-event during your hackathon to provide a fun break from hacking and create a bonding experience for your attendees. Previous Mini-Events include Painting with Bob Ross, Wikipedia Races, and more.
After Your Hackathon
Surveys
Anyone who participates in your Member Event will receive a post event survey about their experience. We’ll share this data with you, show you how you compare to other Member Events, and identify some areas of improvement for your next event.
Scoring
Hackers who participate in Member Events are earning points for their school in the MLH Season rankings. At the end of every Season, hackers can see how their schools performed against other schools and be in the running to win the MLH Season trophy to take back to their hacker club.
Post-Event Support
Just because your event is over, it doesn’t mean we aren't available to help. You still have access to our team and we are happy to help with whatever you need to successfully wrap up your event and pave the way for the next one.
Project checking resolution
If there are project(s) suspected of cheating submitted to your hackathon, the MLH team will follow our Cheating Response Procedure to investigate the project(s). We will work with you and your team to investigate and come to a conclusion, but your hackathon team will make the final decision.
How Do I Qualify?
Here are the steps to becoming an MLH Member Event.
Read the Guidelines
Read the full Member Event Guidelines to understand the requirements and benefits of becoming a Member Event.
Submit an Application
Click the button below and fill out an application to host an official Member Event. Please aim to submit your application at least 3-4 months in advance.
Interview with MLH
Arrange an interview with the MLH team to tell us about your event, iron out the logistical details, and ask us any questions.
"It was extremely helpful to work with MLH, especially as a first time event. The regular calls and check-ins helped us be on track with the planning. All the perks that come with being a member event helped the hackers and us so we would love to work with them again!"
Iqrah Nadeem, ManMetHacks 1.0
