Hackathons Are Great for Online Competitions… But What About the Feedback?

Hackathons are one of the best ways to bring students and developers together online—fast-paced, competitive, and exciting. But one big gap I’ve noticed is:

Most hackathons end with a demo and judging, but very few participants get detailed feedback or mentorship on how to improve their projects further.

How can we ensure students actually learn and grow from hackathons instead of just chasing prizes?

Should hackathons include structured mentorship and post-event feedback loops?

What models have you seen that actually help projects continue after the event?

In our initiative Youth Season of Code, we’ve been working on this exact problem—bringing in 50+ global mentors, promoting open-source collaboration, and creating long-term learning opportunities for students even after competitions.

Curious to hear your thoughts:
Do hackathons need a “feedback-first” model to make them truly valuable?

If you’d like to see how we’re experimenting with this, here’s more info: https://www.ysoc.in/