#HackTN 2026

Are you ready to collaborate with like-minded individuals and be part of a tech-ready ecosystem?

Closes: 15 October, 2026

Information Session

Registration Page

Sponsorship Inquiries

Attend this Hackathon to showcase your skills as part of the amazing tech talent in Tennessee, network, and learn from like-minded individuals.

Challenge Themes

We will be asking participants turn bold ideas into practical solutions with challenges that matter to our community. The requirement is to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure as part of the solution. You'll receive $500 worth of Oracle Cloud credits if you register for the hackathon before Monday October 12th.

The full challenge statements will be release during the information session - October 15.

More information will be released soon.

Participation

Hackathons are not just for programmers. In order for a group to succeed, it is most ideal to have a mix of people from diverse backgrounds and skillsets. We call it the 'Minimum Viable Team' - the smallest team required to achieve a specific purpose. Teams should have a minimum of 4 people and a maximum of 6 people. We encourage anyone wanting to to land their next role at a tech organization, or anyone passionate about helping the our local communities in Tennessee to come and join us!

Don't have a team? We'll host a networking happy hour at our Information Session on Thursday 15th October, and you'll have a chance to form teams on Saturday morning. If you don't have a team by 10am, we'll put you into a team and introduce you to your new team members via Slack.

Hipster

person who designs the prototype

Hacker

person who creates the prototype

Hustler

person who sells the product

Herder

person who facilitates and manages the team

What will happen?

Throughout the weekend, you will be faced with a series of activities to help you develop your solution for the judges. The outcome will be a presentation (pitch explaining why you worked on this) and a prototype (demonstration of the key feature you developed over the weekend). Many people go to Hackathons because it's about the 'tech', but we define that as the following steps of a Hackathon:

1

Networking

Find your team mates. We'll have activities to help you through this process.

2

Ideation

Develop creative ideas! We'll have mentors who will give you feedback.

3

Build

Create a really quick version of your solution and test it with your customers.

4

Hacking!!

Using the feedback, create your demo and presentation to pitch to our experienced judges.

Agenda

The Hackathon event is a hybrid event with the option to participate in-person at Vanderbilt University. If you are participating online, you need to have 1x person on your team present at the Final Showcase from 1-5pm. on Sunday. The expectation of the team is to develop:

A feature for an existing business (working function)
OR develop a new technology solution (new business idea from scratch)

We want all teams to use the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and we'll supply you with $500 credits. You can access the starter kit here to familiarize yourselves with the technology and tools. We will be holding 2x workshops on this during the hackathon.

Key attendance is expected for all participants - either in-person or online.

Hackathon Day One

Saturday, from 9-8pm

Keynote Speaker
Hackathon Logistics and Process
Team Formation and Registration
Workshops
Mentoring Sessions

Information Session / Workshop

Thursday from 5:30-7pm

An introduction to the Hackathon
Challenge Statement Revealed
Technology Upskilling Workshop
Hackathon Tips and Tricks
Networking

Hackathon Day Two

Sunday from 9am-5pm

Hacking finishes at 12pm
Participants to present their demo and presentations (4 min each)
Judges to determine winners
What's next for Hackathon

Prizes

Our panel of judges will be assessing the teams based on the criteria:

Communication

Can the team clearly and concisely communicate the future state they are creating?

Social Impact

Does the solution solve a meaningful problem and create measurable value?

Credibility

Does the team demonstrate grit, self-awareness, and the ability to execute?

Problem Validation

Have real customers provided input? Is there evidence that the problem is worth solving?

User Experience

Is the workflow intuitive? Can a new user understand it quickly?

Technicality

Does the prototype actually work and leverage Oracle Cloud Infrastructure capabilities?

WHAT YOU WILL SHOW THE JUDGES

A PITCH

A 2 minute presentation explaining the customer pain point, why you came up with your solution, and how you will be approaching potential customers

A PROTOTYPE

A 2 minute presentation demonstration of at least one feature of your proposed working solution. It can be a feature for an existing business, or something completely new!

YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE REWARDED WITH

1:1 Mentoring

with recognized leaders in tech to help your career journey

$2000 USD

Monetary Prize Pool

Awarded to winning teams

1st - $1000

2nd - $750

3rd - $250

Access to like minded individuals and tech communities groups

Judges

Industry experts who will be evaluating the video presentations. They will be asking questions after the presentations to the teams to help determine the winners.

Sr Director, Talent Acuisition and Exec Recruiting

Dustin Eden

VP, External Standards & Community Engagement

Heather VanCura

Jenny Zhao

VP Product

Miss Grand Tennessee 2026

Amanda Bell

Mentors and Helpers

Principal Program Manager, Community Engagement

Steph Stanton

Technical Program Manager, Oracle Cloud Infrastracture

Kailas Jawadekar

Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition

Tyler Muller

Communications Program Manager

Lilly Berry

Co-President, VandyHacks

Shravya Eyunni

Co-President, VandyHacks

Filiz Karabulut

The Hackathons International Team

The benefits of going to a Hackathon is that you can learn new skills about entrepreneurship, design thinking, and technologies that you can bring back into your day-to-day life. The Hackathons International will be with on site to help you throughout the Hackathon.

CEO & Co-Founder, Lead Facilitator

Angela Bee Chan

Software Developer and Tech Support

Alicia Brandewie

Faith James

Experience Lead and Event Support

Watch to learn more

Thank you to our Community Partners for providing their platforms to help spread the word about #HackTN.

If you want to learn more about this Hackathon, watch and read the below!

Core Sponsor

University Partner

Community Partners

Frequently asked questions

General

What is a Hackathon?

Hackathons are NOT just for programmers. They require collaboration to achieve desirable, feasible, and viable solutions. A Hackathon is a short, pressurized competition where a group come together to design, develop, and demonstrate their ideas on center stage! Usually at the start we give you context about a problem/challenge statement, and then it's up to you to come up with creative ideas! We expect your teams to develop a rough Minimum Viable Product so you can pitch your idea and show the judges what you've come up with on the Sunday afternoon. Read more here.

Who can participate in a Hackathon?

Anyone with an open mindset can participate. Because this is a Hackathon focused around software development and launching business ideas, we need a mix of business, design, technical, creative and industry experts to form teams.

I am under 18 years. Can I participate?

The event is open to anyone 18 years and over. Email angela@hackathonsinternational.com if you are under the age of 18 years. You will need a parent of guardian present.

Do I need to form a team before we join the Hackathon?

No, we will be giving you time at the start of the Hackathon to network and meet other people. Teams should be between 3-6 members. We encourage you to bring your friends!

What do I need to bring to the Hackathon?

Bring your laptop and charger, notepads and pens, an open mindset and positive attitude!

What does my ticket include?

An unforgettable opportunity formulate an idea and create a productLearn and upgrade your knowledge bank with new skills and toolsAccess to our Hackathons International tech ecosystem partners (including meeting others in tech, introductions to companies, mentors, and advisors)Meals will be provided on Saturday - breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sunday - breakfast and lunch

Who owns the Intellectual Property of the solution at the Hackathon?

We don't own anything, you do! We also abide by the Hack Code of Conduct

I heard that I can go to a Hackathon where jobs are available. Where can I learn more?

Yes, there will be recruiters and talent scouts at the hackathon. There will be a special 'workforce development' panel during deliberation, after the Hackathon showcase. During this you can gain tips on how to do well in an interview and understand the available roles that are open. Keep posted!