Organize a Hackathon
Guide for organizers on the Xthon platform
Your Capabilities
As an organizer you can: - 🎯 Create hackathons and manage them - 📋 Set up challenges with evaluation criteria - 👥 Invite experts and moderators - 🏆 Manage prizes and venues - 📰 Publish news in the hackathon feed - 🤝 Add partners
Creating a Hackathon
Step 1: Basic Information
- Go to Hackathons → Create Hackathon
- Specify name and short description
- Choose hackathon dates
Creating a Hackathon
Step 2: Configuration
- Add full description and rules
- Upload a hackathon cover image
- Specify format (online/offline) and location
- Add external registration URL (if needed)
- Publish the hackathon
Creating a Hackathon
Step 3: Inviting Experts
- Go to the hackathon management page
- Find the Experts section
- Select experts from the list or send invitations
- Experts receive notifications and can accept or decline
Creating Challenges
What is a Challenge?
A task for participants with evaluation criteria
Challenge setup: - Title and detailed description - Evaluation criteria (multiple allowed) - Maximum score for each criterion - Criterion weights for final ranking
Hackathon Page: Overview
Blocks on the main page
Organizers can edit all blocks directly on the hackathon page:
- About — description
- Prize Fund — editable block with rich text
- Schedule — by day and time
- Venues — cards with photos and addresses
- Experts — auto-populated from the participant list
- Winners — shown after the event ends
Overview: Prize Fund
How to add?
- On the hackathon page click Edit in the Prize Fund block
- A rich text editor opens (headings, lists, bold)
- Describe the prizes for participants
- Click Save
💡 The block is visible to all users on the hackathon page
Overview: Schedule
How to add?
- On the hackathon page click Edit in the Schedule block
- Add rows: title, date, start and end time
- Mark key events with ★ (they are highlighted)
- Click Save
Overview: Venues
How to add?
- In the Venues block click + Add
- Upload venue photos
- Specify name, address, and description
- Add a website link (optional)
- Click Save
💡 Multiple venues can be added — they display as cards
Overview: Partners
How to add?
- In the right panel click + next to Partners
- Upload a logo (PNG/SVG, white background, 200×200 px)
- Specify partner name and website
- Click Add
Reuse: Previously added partners are saved in your list — add them quickly via From my list
Feed Tab: Publishing Posts
What is the Feed?
The hackathon news feed — a place to communicate with participants
What to publish: - Announcements and important updates - Links to resources and materials - Answers to common questions - Intermediate stage results
Feed Tab: How to Publish?
Creating a post
- On the hackathon page go to the Feed tab
- Type text in the New post field
- Optionally attach files (images, PDF)
- Click Publish
Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, HEIC, PDF
💡 Organizers and moderators can publish posts
Hackathon Management Tools
Available in the right panel of the hackathon page:
- Experts — manage the expert list
- Moderators — manage moderators
- Challenges — manage challenges
- Statistics — participation summary
- Aggregation — expert rating table
Winners
When does the block appear?
The Winners block on the Overview page appears automatically when experts have submitted ratings
- Winner list per challenge
- Team ranking with total score
- Gold, silver, bronze for top 3
FAQ for Organizers
Can dates be changed after publishing? Yes, through hackathon editing
Who can see the Venues block? All users, even unregistered ones
Can moderators post in the Feed? Yes, organizers and moderators can publish posts
Feedback
Found a problem or have an idea?
Click the chat icon in the header
Categories: - 🐛 Bug Report — report an issue - ✨ Feature Request — suggest a feature - 💬 General Feedback — general comments
Ready to Organize!
Useful links: - Hackathons — browse hackathons - Experts — find experts - Participants — find participants
Have a great hackathon! 🎯