Hey there! I’m Sameer, and hackathons have been one of the most defining parts of my time at Imperial. Over the past year, I’ve experienced hackathons as a participant, a winner, and as a part of the organising team for IC Hack 26. Seeing hackathons from multiple perspectives showed me what makes them exciting - and where we can push them further.
For IC Hack 27, my campaign focuses on two key aspects: inclusivity and industry depth.
First, the experience. Competition drives innovation, but atmosphere drives participation. I want to introduce interactive elements – collaborative mini activities, live performances, and light social events – to “un-zombify” the mood during those 3 AM debugging sessions. I plan to make the newly introduced hack-packs more extensive for newcomers and also pipeline a “non-vibe coding” side track on Imperial’s lab machines in Huxley, allowing students to compete without AI tools!
Second, stronger industry exposure. Software development is incredibly diverse, and I aim to have our sponsor pool reflect that breadth – from computer graphics and optimisation to AI, fintech, and blockchain – encouraging students to explore beyond predictable trends (not every solution has to be a GPT wrapper!)
Finally, I’ll run ideation and project development workshops throughout the year, working closely with the rest of DocSoc’s committee to bring in guest speakers and mock demos on systems design, API structuring, modern technologies, etc.
That being said, I hope I can get your vote for Hackathons Coordinator… see you next year at IC Hack!