Unique but Simple Hackathon Project Ideas You Must Try in 2024

From banks to IT companies and from universities to government organizations, many institutions have shown increasing interest in organizing hackathons in recent years. The number of these events is expected to continue growing. Hackathons offer opportunities for participants to learn, earn, collaborate, and solve societal problems. Are you planning to participate in a hackathon and looking for unique yet simple hackathon project ideas? If yes then this article is for you.

Over 80% of Fortune 100 companies hold hackathons to encourage innovation. More than 50% of these hackathons happen regularly, showing they are an effective method for continuous innovation. – Hacker Earth

In this article, we will list some innovative and simple hackathon project ideas you can try. These ideas are designed to be easy to understand and implement, making them perfect for beginners and seasoned participants. Additionally, I would like to say that, since these ideas are simple you can say, that these ideas are a good fit as hackathon project ideas for college students. So, go through this list and choose one that still needs your attention.

What is a Hackathon?

A hackathon is an event where people come together to create software or hardware projects within a short period, usually 24-48 hours. Participants work in teams to brainstorm ideas, build prototypes, and solve problems, often ending with presentations or demonstrations of their work.

Hackathon is also known by terms like:

• Hack day
• Datathon
• Hackfest
• Codefest

The term ‘hackathon’ is a combination of the words “hack” (meaning to find clever or creative solutions) and “marathon” (indicating a prolonged and intense effort). It is related to computer programmers, ethical hackers, and software coders.

As we said above, these events are organized for the sole reason of providing solutions with coding or programming for pressing issues in society. In these events, people also connect and learn with talented individuals worldwide.

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Types of Hackathons

There are several types of hackathons, each with a unique focus. Here are some of the most common ones:

1. General Hackathons: Open to anyone with a project idea, covering topics like web development, mobile apps, and data science.
2. Industry Hackathons: Tailored for professionals in specific fields, focusing on industry-relevant challenges, such as those in healthcare, finance, and engineering.
3. Themed Hackathons: Centered around a specific theme, like sustainability, education, or social impact, aiming to solve related challenges.
4. Internal Hackathons: Organized by companies for their employees to develop new products or services.
5. Online Hackathons: Held online, allowing participation from anywhere in the world, usually with a shorter duration than in-person events.

No matter which type you choose, hackathons are a fantastic way to learn new skills, meet people, and create innovative projects.

Benefits of Participating in Hackathons

Hackathons can greatly benefit your career. Here are a few key advantages:

1. Improve Technical Skills: You’ll not only improve your existing skills but also learn new ones.
2. Boost Creativity: Hackathons encourage innovative thinking, helping you come up with new ideas.
3. Win Prizes: Unique and innovative ideas can earn you exciting prizes.
4. Network with Others: You’ll meet many people, which helps improve your communication and interpersonal skills.

I must say, participants participate in these events for prizes, fun, and the thrill of competition. The hackathon organizers provide food and drinks throughout the event.

How to Find a Prize-Winning Hackathon Project Idea (Practical Approach)?

1. Identify a Personal Pain Point: Think about frustrations you’ve experienced in your daily life or work. Entrepreneurs often find success by solving their problems, like how Sara Blakely created Spanx because she wanted better undergarments.
2. Research Market Needs: Look at market trends and gaps. For example, Elon Musk saw a future in electric cars and renewable energy, leading to the success of Tesla and SolarCity.
3. Analyze Competitors: Study successful projects from previous hackathons. Similar to how startups analyze competitors to find what’s missing or what can be improved, you can identify what made past projects successful and how you can do better.
4. Use Your Expertise: Choose a project that leverages your strengths. Just as Bill Gates and Paul Allen used their programming skills to create Microsoft, you should pick a project that aligns with what you’re good at.
5. Collaborate and Network: Work with a diverse team. Entrepreneurs often build successful businesses by combining different skill sets and viewpoints. Collaborate with team members who bring unique perspectives to brainstorm innovative ideas.
6. Prototype Quickly: Create a quick prototype of your idea. This approach is similar to the Lean Startup methodology, where you build a minimum viable product (MVP) to test and iterate quickly. Hackathons are perfect for rapid prototyping.
7. Validate Your Idea: Get feedback from potential users or mentors during the hackathon. Entrepreneurs like Eric Ries, author of “The Lean Startup,” emphasize the importance of validating ideas with real users early on.
8. Focus on Impact and Scalability: Aim for projects that can make a significant impact and can scale. Think about how Airbnb started as a way to rent out air mattresses in an apartment and scaled to a global platform.

By following these steps, you can approach finding a hackathon project idea in the same way successful entrepreneurs develop their business ideas.

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Essential Points to Consider When Choosing a Hackathon Project Idea

Getting a project Idea is not Rocket Science, just like an entrepreneur, who looks out for problems to solve. You must also look out for problems facing your community, state, country, and the World.

Before you choose a theme/project idea for a Hackathon, you need to take into consideration many things. Some of them are:

1. Understand the Problem, and do proper research.
2. Try to come up with a unique idea, solution, or improvement that stands out.
3. Check Your Skills.
4. You can’t be good at everything, think about the team.
5. Think and prepare a clear and compelling presentation and project report/research paper.
6. Consider how your project will impact society. Ask yourself thought-provoking questions and answer them honestly.

• • In what way will the project impact society?
  • Is the project idea workable?
  • Can I get the right human resources to implement it?
  • Will the product of your idea be something that users cannot do without?
  • Will the product be evergreen?

Considering these points will help you choose a strong hackathon project idea.

Sometimes, a simple idea is all we need to make a change. It can be simple yet powerful because its meaning is universal and widely applicable. Such ideas often cut through complexity, offering clear and effective solutions that resonate with a broad audience. They can inspire innovation, drive progress, and bring about meaningful transformations in various aspects of life, whether in personal endeavors or larger societal challenges.

Now it is time to reveal some unique yet simple hackathon project ideas. Since this article has been live since 2019 make sure that the idea is still unique and none have worked on it.

39 Simple Hackathon Project Ideas for Beginners

Are you looking for simple hackathon project ideas? You’ve come to the right place!

We are listing here the 39 best project ideas for hackathons divided into various categories. Go through the complete list and choose one that is simple and has some value.

Education:

1. Smart tutor: Help users to improve their language, Suggest ideas and unfamiliar words, Check Spell and Grammar, and also suggest a solution.
2. Make Learning Fun: Find a Creative and fun way to engage kids more in learning.
3. Solve Unemployment: Create an easily accessible database that highlights the candidate’s skill and field of interest. We can start the collection of the database at the college level.
4. Practical Knowledge: Theoretical stuff is available online easily, but practical stuff is very hard to find. Check Stuqi it has papers for exams there are many websites like it but no one has information about Practical Schools or college level and their exams.
5. App to Rate Handwriting: You can use some graphic image processing libraries in PHP to create an app that can rate handwriting.
6. Course and university finder: There are many such websites but they are country or region basis, what about a universal course and University finder?
7. Apps That Aid College Students: An app that solves all the problems college students face in their college life which include finding an internship or a job, balancing their life and their schoolwork, navigating student loan debt, organizing their assignments, setting deadlines, and help them keep track of their grades. It is one of the best hackathon ideas for beginners.

Health Care:

1. Healthcare Record/Report Wallet: Hospitals and large medical institutions deal with a lot of data, records, and reports, these include transactional records, patients’ medical records, Consultation records, etc. You can build a Safe Data Management Solution For Hospitals and patients that keep a record of everything, without being affected by a change of doctors, different health problems, or anything. Patients and doctors can access all the records with a single login.
2. Make way for ambulances: It is a major issue in populated or highly crowded areas and cities. A system that keeps track of the empty lane and also warns people to keep that lane empty will be a helpful idea.
3. Rural Health care: It will be one of the most helpful and Simple Hackathon Ideas of the year 2021, a system that keeps a database and allows rural area people to talk or take advice about their health from doctors who avoid going to these areas. So the money, time, and life of those needy people will be saved.
4. Communication between doctors and patients: In one system that makes technical things understandable to the patients, the patient can check their reports and also understand what is wrong or what is right in their reports also the same system will be helpful for the doctors so they can communicate with patients in a better way.
5. Awareness System: An app or service that has information about all the symptoms, illnesses, and health problems and also some type of health checkup services. So people who avoid the checkup, or symptoms of initial health issues will be also warned and the system will also suggest some doctors to them.
6. Better Emergency System: The app on the Smartphone will sense what is the issue with the user (if any) and then automatically inform about the condition of family members and respective health care centers (Hospitals). Here, the person (Rape victim, injured because of a hazard or accident, health issue) will get the best possible help as soon as possible.
7. Ambulance management: It is the 21st century and we are still managing ambulances on phone calls, we can automate it with GPS and an Ola/Uber-like system.
8. All-in-one Medical Care App: We all know people in rural areas find it hard to get access to Medical Treatment, what if you build apps that allow them to have a medical session with a Medical professional in real time? Another problem that is common in health care is people failing to show up for Medical check-ups. This is another problem that can be solved with technology. We can develop applications that notify patients of their medication schedules. Think about Simple Hackathon Ideas for Solving Problems of Patients Not Visiting Hospitals for Medical Check-Up and also a Platform Where Patients can have a Live Session with Doctors in Case of Emergency.
9. A food analyzer app: If it is not new then it will be a revolutionary improvement. You can build an app that helps people analyze their foods and minerals it has just by taking pictures. There are a few apps available but they don’t have a database. You can do research and add normal day-to-day foods in this app to make it more promising.

Environment:

1. App to measure noise level: Build a mobile App to measure noise level or the anticipation of the crowded level around the city based on participatory sensing.
2. Better Waste Recycling: You can look for ways to build a better method through which waste can be recycled, and you can research how to make a non-degradable product decompose.
3. Plant Care App: People love planting trees but they forget to take care of them. Thus you can build an app that can keep people up-to-date about their plants and not only one special plant for their complete garden.
4. Dedicated App/ website with Product’s environmental impacts: People are becoming aware of pollution and they are searching for more eco-friendly products. You can start a website that features clear details of each product’s environmental effects.

Tech:

1. Iron Man’s AI-based Face Recognising System: We first saw it live in Iron Man 2 when War Machine landed on the military base. It seems like with the advancement in technology and especially in AI we can build something similar, software that can run on portable systems/devices and can recognize people. Yes, we have to deal with data privacy and synchronization first. It is one of the best hackathon project ideas you’re searching for. If you make it, it will be helpful in various fields.
2. Digital Sharable Visiting card: With various sharing technologies already available on your smartphone people can share their digital visiting card just by some phone movement or gesture. Even without unlocking the phone.
3. The Stuff Reminder: You can set a reminder for dates but, what about stuff? There are a few gadgets but those are only for 1-2 stuff, so what about reminders for every single thing you can pack in your tour bag? Means around 20-25 stuff.
4. Automation in Hazardous Jobs: There are some sectors and occupations that are more dangerous than others. Keeping workers safe or even protected in these jobs is a significant challenge. You can use the latest technologies to eliminate or even reduce the risks and challenges. And if you build something that can replace workers in these sectors, then it will be a great relief. If you are looking for an idea for a great hackathon project, must think about this idea.
5. Inventions to help physically challenged people: Hawking used assistive technology to compensate for mobility and speech difficulties. Many physically challenged or differently-abled people can live a better life with the help of technology. You can build or invent things that help them in day-to-day life.
6. Sign language translation App: All we need is proper implementation, everything else is already available. Hand gesture recognition, powerful cameras, face recognition, and AI are already doing a great job, we all need to mix it all to create a perfect solution that can effectively translate sign language in real time.
7. Smart Helping Robot: Imagine a robot that can do simple tasks at home, like getting your snacks or fetching your phone. It’s a great but simple hackathon project idea! You can build this smart butler robot using IoT, AI, and automation.
8. AI-Powered Video Editing Tool: Create a free AI video editor that streamlines the video editing process by autonomously choosing optimal shots, fine-tuning lighting and color settings, and proposing edits tailored to the video’s content and intended emotional tone.

AutoTech:

1. Automatic e-challan for overspeeding: More than 1 billion people were using Google Maps every month around the world. This amazing app with GPS technology either on a smartphone or the vehicle is almost everyone’s guide on unpredictable roads. The app is also able to track the accurate speed of the vehicle. With some fine coding and a little bit of brain, we can make a proper system that tracks the speed and generates an automatic e-challan for overspeeding. It will be a cheaper solution for a great aim.
2. Automatic Real-Time Traffic Monitoring System: In big cities, people are finding it hard to Navigate around the City. Thus you can come up with an application/software idea that provides them with real-time traffic monitoring. It will go a long way in reducing the problem if not erased.
3. Parking Spot Finder: You can develop a mobile app that finds and notifies about the available parking spots in the nearby area to the driver. It will save fuel consumption and also help drivers to focus on the road.
4. Vehicle Maintenance: Some big car brands are providing such apps, but what about mid to lower-range vehicles? With data and analysis records you can or your app can predict when a vehicle needs services. Think about it.
5. Pedestrian safety: By using infrared, proximity, and motion sensors you can develop a working prototype that helps passenger vehicles reduce car speed or stop the car when it detects pedestrians.

Miscellaneous Simple Hackathon Project Ideas

1. Cybercriminal/bullying Fighter: You can start a project with your techie friends that can help people deal with cybercrime or bullying. I know it is hard, but it’s hard to start but people and society need help in this sector. It is also a great hackathon project idea because government authorities are not up to the mark or easy to reach. This idea can also lead to a private company that is ready to deal with all these issues.
2. Crowd Funding System For Start-Up Owners: Having access to funds is one of the common problems startups around the globe face during their initial launching stage. You can make an online Crowdfunding system where people can donate money to fund a Startup based on the information provided. You should also know that organizing a program like this is hard and you must have the trust of the People before they can give you money. Someone with authority can easily implement this kind of project in the field, but if you are still keen on making one as a Novice. you can find someone with authority to put out words for you.

IT Field

1. Low-Code No-Code Development Platforms: Even with all the website builders and premade themes, why people are hiring developers or designers to build and design their websites or apps? Does none of them are reliable? do they lack features? Are they not in line with the modern era? Maybe Yes, you can build a Low-code no-code platform for app and website development and designing works. Where people can build a solution for them without hiring a developer or designer. In this way, they will get solutions quickly and many developers and designers will have less burden for even small work. However, they will be hired for the expertise level of work.
2. A community Marketplace where everyone meets and builds something unique: It is an excellent hackathon idea that has the potential to bring together a community of people with the shared goal of creating something unique. The community marketplace would be a platform for people to connect, collaborate, and create something special. The marketplace could focus on any number of areas, such as products, software, hardware, or even services. By providing a platform for collaboration, this simple hackathon idea could foster innovation and creativity as well as provide a space for people to share their ideas and build something together. It could also be a great way to build relationships and create a sense of community.
3. A real Readability Improver Tool: We have AI content writers, readability checkers, PPT makes, and graphic makers but we still don’t have a proper readability improver tool. All the existing tools that claim to be readability improvers are just summarizer tools. These tools just rephrase text and reduce the length, they do nothing related to readability. Is it not one of the most needed simple hackathon ideas? After all hackathon means an innovative solution for an existing problem.
4. A Reliable AI Detector Tool: There are many AI content writer and detector tools. However, none of the AI detector tools are reliable. I checked some of the popular ones but their result varies a lot. So, we need a reliable AI detector tool, and we also know that it is a very hard job to do.

These are just some examples of simple hackathon ideas for beginners, there are many more you can find. These examples are here to give you an idea that a simple solution can be a hackathon-winning idea. You just have to find a real problem, find a solution, and then present it in a hackathon event. But how will you find a hackathon event near you?

Don’t worry, we have you covered.

How to Find a hackathon event near you?

Finding hackathon events nearby is easier than you think. As the world becomes more digital, you just need to search smartly.

Hackathon organizers usually announce events through newspapers and online marketing. The easiest way is to use Google. Simply type “Hackathon + (your city name)” and hit enter. For example, search for “Hackathon Amsterdam,” “Hackathon Nederland,” or “Hackathon Tilburg.” You’ll get relevant results.

To find recent and upcoming events, click on “Tools” below the search bar to sort the results.

You can also follow pages of previous events and organizers on social media to stay updated.

Other Ways to Find Hackathon Events

Here are some other ways to find hackathon events near you:

• Search online: Many websites list hackathon events, such as Devpost, Major League Hacking (MLH), and Hackalist. You can search by location, date, and topic to find events that are a good fit for you.
• Check with local universities and colleges: Many universities and colleges host hackathons, so it’s worth checking with your local school to see if they have any upcoming events.
• Join hackathon communities: There are several online communities for hackathon enthusiasts. Joining one of these communities can be a great way to stay up-to-date on upcoming events and to meet other people who are interested in hackathons.

Once you’ve found a few hackathon events that you’re interested in, be sure to check the registration deadlines and requirements. Some hackathons require participants to have a certain level of experience. So it’s important to make sure that you meet the requirements before you register.

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Conclusion: Participate and Do your Best

Winning a competition or event is significant and depends on various factors. However, finding unique but simple hackathon project ideas and participating in these technical events is equally important and valuable. Give your best effort and use your knowledge and skills to solve a problem.

In this article, we have covered many aspects, from introducing you to hackathons to finding ideas and events. I hope this guide helps you in your journey. If it does, please let me know.

I, Sourabh Kumar Singh would like to conclude this article with the statement:

There are many problems around us and in our society that need attention. Identifying these problems and finding appropriate solutions will lead to great hackathon ideas. Good luck, and I will keep this list updated with new ideas and challenges.

• Images by jannoon028, Steve Johnson, techcrunch