Show up ready.
Don't waste the first hour.
The first hour of a hackathon is the most expensive. Teams that show up prepared — with a stack chosen, a project scaffolded, and a problem scoped — consistently outperform teams that start from zero.
This is the week-by-week countdown. Work through it once before your next event.
T-7 days
One week out
Read the problem statement or theme carefully
Screenshot it. You'll forget details under pressure.
Identify which of the 6 core feature types fits your likely idea
Map · Form · AI · Data · Realtime · Alerts
Spin up a Next.js + Supabase project now
Don't start from zero on the day. Auth alone takes 15 minutes when you're calm and 90 minutes when you're stressed.
Make sure Google OAuth works end-to-end in your test project
Set up Vercel deployment — get one green deploy before the event
Check what APIs/datasets are relevant to the theme
Government data portals, health datasets, climate APIs. Knowing they exist is different from having access.
Form or confirm your team
Ideally: one frontend/fullstack, one domain expert or PM, one person who can pitch
T-3 days
Three days out
Run the Codefest workspace for your likely problem domain
Get your recommended stack. Have the docs bookmarked.
Download or generate your AI context pack
Load it into Claude or your AI editor now. Test that your AI gives hackathon-aware answers, not generic ones.
Install the Codefest MCP server in Claude Desktop or Cursor
So you can query the component library from inside your editor.
Agree on your stack as a team — write it down
No debates on the day. The default is: Next.js · Supabase · Tailwind · Vercel.
Identify the one external API or dataset your idea depends on
Sign up for API keys now. Don't wait until 11pm Saturday.
Do a dry run: start from zero and get a page deployed in under 30 minutes
This reveals setup friction while you still have time to fix it.
T-1 day
Day before
Sketch your 3-screen demo on paper
What does a judge see in 3 minutes? Name those 3 screens.
Write your one-sentence problem statement
Format: "For [who], [X] is a problem because [Y]. We're building [Z] that does [specific thing]."
Make sure your laptop is charged and charging cable is packed
Set up hotspot on your phone as backup WiFi
Hackathon WiFi is always bad. Always.
Clone your template project or create the repo
Push a skeleton app. Wake up with something to deploy.
Sleep at least 7 hours
This is not optional. Cognitive performance drops 25% on 6 hours. You will make worse decisions and write worse code.
Morning of
Day of the event
Load your AI context pack first thing
Before any code. Prime your AI for the next 24 hours.
Spend the first 30 minutes on alignment, not code
Agree on: the 3 demo screens, the one "wow moment", what you're cutting if time runs short.
Set up in order: framework → database → auth → your feature
Resist building features before the foundation works. Every time.
Deploy something (even a skeleton) within the first 2 hours
An early deploy proves your pipeline works and gives you a URL to share.
Set a midpoint check at the halfway mark
Are you on the demo path? Is anything blocking you? Cut or mock anything that isn't core.
Reserve the last 2 hours for demo prep and practice
Not new features. A smooth 3-minute demo beats a rough 5-minute one every time.
Tools that do the prep work for you
Several of the checklist items above take 30 seconds with the right tool.