Frequently Asked
Questions

You can come to our hackathon with a pre-formed team, or you can form a team once you're on the ground. At the beginning of the event, everyone has the chance to pitch ideas for apps or games they want to make. You can find an idea to work on then. Teams can be made up of anyone you'd like—they don't need to attend your same school or be in your same grade.

That's totally ok! We do encourage pre-formed teams to stay open to adding new teammates—welcoming others can bring fresh ideas and it might even make the experience more fun!

Also totally ok; many students work by themselves. We do find that students have more fun when participating as a team, however.

Bits and Bytes is a student-led tech club that runs hackathons and other events. Our hackathons follow the usual format but aren't traditional—we have some inspirations from Hack Club style hackathons. Our focus is on creativity; lots of attendees are newer to coding. If that sounds like fun to you, we'd love to have you!

Absolutely! We're almost always looking for help with the following: organizers, general day-of volunteers, workshops, and mentors. Reach out to us through our contact page to learn more.

You can make anything at our hackathons. Anything at all. The only limit is yourself. Well, almost. You can't create anything that violates our Code of Conduct. This is usually a little less strict than "school appropriate," but in general you can't create a project which uses offensive language referring to people's gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or disabilities; uses sexualized language or imagery; harasses someone; or is unsafe or illegal.

Common projects vary, but in general, most attendees create games, a sizable minority create mobile apps, and a small number create websites or electronics projects. You can technically even create non-coding projects; we've seen people present paintings and record albums before. If you're not sure what you want to make, you'll also have the opportunity to join an existing team.

No, you cannot show existing projects at our hackathons. All projects must be created during the event.

For security reasons, parents are generally not allowed on the main premises. However, they can attend the kickoffs and presentation awards. Parents may also attend if they are accepted as a volunteer and pass a background check and training, or are a chaperone for a school group.

Yes. You can bring anything on your device. Generally, you need to bring a laptop with you to the hackathon.

For students staying overnight, it's recommended to bring: a toothbrush and toothpaste, a sleeping bag, a pillow, and a camping pad if you have one.

While desktop computers are welcome, we recommend bringing a laptop instead. If you do bring a desktop, you will need to bring everything, including: a keyboard, mouse, and monitor; headphones (speakers are not allowed); a wifi adapter, since most venues do not allow participants to connect to wired ethernet; and all necessary cables.

Yes, however students who are minors will need to have a parent present to pick them up, or bring a signed note allowing them to leave early on their own. Students may not be able to return at all times of day. Venues are typically locked down overnight, and depending on building security they may not be able to let you back in until the morning.