HacktoberFest 2026

Aryan Singh — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 00:10:17 +0000

Our First Hackathon Experience: 12 Hours, Countless Memories and a Lot to Learn

College life is not just about attending classes, completing assignments and preparing for exams. Sometimes, the best learning experiences happen when we step out of our usual routine and try something completely new. Our first hackathon was one such experience.

When we decided to participate in Hacktoberfest 2026, we were excited, but honestly, we weren't really sure what to expect. We had heard about hackathons before, where teams come together to work on an idea within a limited time, but being a part of one ourselves was a completely different experience.

The event was scheduled for 12 hours, starting at 6 PM and going all the way until 6 AM the next morning. The idea of staying up all night and working with your teammates sounded exciting, although we had no idea how challenging it would actually get.

Our team had three members, and this was our first proper hackathon together. We were beginners, still figuring out a lot of things, but we were excited to give it a shot.

The Beginning: 6:30 PM

The event started with a lot of excitement. Teams were settling down, discussing ideas and figuring out where to begin. There was a different kind of energy in the room, with everyone focused on making the most of the next 12 hours.

We started going through the problem statements and discussing which one we should choose. After a bit of discussion, we finally decided on Problem Statement 7.

And that's how our project, TrustMesh, came into the picture.

At first, we spent quite some time understanding the problem and figuring out what we could actually do about it. Everyone had different thoughts and suggestions, and we tried to bring them together.

We were excited to get started, but somewhere in the back of our minds, we knew one thing: we had only 12 hours, and the clock had already started ticking.

Getting Into the Flow
Once we had decided what we wanted to work on, we got started.

The first few hours went by surprisingly fast. There was a lot of discussion, a little confusion, some trial and error, and plenty of moments where we had to stop and figure things out.

Since this was our first experience, we obviously didn't know everything. There were times when we got stuck, couldn't figure out what to do next or had to change our approach completely.

But honestly, that was also the fun part.

We slowly realised that a hackathon isn't just about coming up with an idea and making it work. It's also about dealing with unexpected problems and finding a way forward when things don't go as planned.

Working as a team helped a lot. Whenever one of us got stuck, the others tried to help. We kept sharing ideas, discussing things and figuring out the next step.

It wasn't perfect, but we were making progress, and that was what mattered.

Midnight: When Reality Started Kicking In
As the night went on, things started feeling a little different.

The excitement was still there, but we were becoming more aware of how much time had passed and how much work was still left.

Around midnight, we started realising that staying awake and focused for so many hours wasn't going to be as easy as we had imagined.

There was a mix of tiredness, pressure and excitement. One moment we would be completely focused on the work, and the next moment someone would crack a random joke or start a completely unrelated conversation.

And somehow, those little breaks made the whole experience even better.

What I liked the most was that none of us wanted to give up just because something wasn't working. We kept trying, discussing and finding ways to move ahead.

Looking back, I think this was when we really started understanding what working as a team actually means.

The 3 AM Feeling
I think anyone who has experienced an overnight event can relate to how different 3 AM feels.

By this time, the excitement of the evening had slowly turned into tiredness. Staying awake was one thing, but staying focused was a completely different challenge.

Still, there was work left to do, so we kept going.

We checked what we had completed, discussed what was still pending and tried to use the remaining time properly.

One thing I will probably remember is the atmosphere during those early morning hours. Everyone was tired, but at the same time, nobody wanted to stop. Even completing a small task felt like a big achievement.

There were random conversations, laughter and moments when we would just take a break and talk for a while before getting back to work.

At that moment, it just felt like another long night. But I am pretty sure these are the kinds of memories we will laugh about later.

The Final Hours: 6 AM Is Almost Here
As we got closer to 6:30 AM, the pressure started increasing.

We knew we were running out of time, so we focused on whatever was left to complete. We checked our progress, made some final improvements and tried to get everything ready.

It was strange to think about how quickly the time had passed.

When we started at 6:30 PM, 12 hours seemed like a lot of time. But suddenly, it was almost 6:30 AM, and the entire experience was coming to an end.

We had started the evening with excitement and a lot of questions, and now we were standing at the end of an overnight journey that taught us quite a few things.

And just like that, our first hackathon came to an end.

What We Actually Learned
If someone asks me what I learned from this hackathon, my answer would go beyond the project we worked on.

Those 12 hours taught us a lot about teamwork, patience, communication and managing time. We learned that things don't always go according to plan, and sometimes you just have to figure things out as you go.

We also realised that you don't necessarily have to be an expert to participate in a hackathon. Being willing to learn, trying new things and not being afraid of making mistakes matter just as much.

Another important thing was understanding teamwork. It's not just about dividing tasks among team members. It's about helping each other when things get difficult, listening to different opinions and making decisions together.

And probably the biggest lesson was that learning something new becomes a lot more interesting when you experience it yourself.

More Than Just a Hackathon
Our first hackathon was honestly a mixture of everything: excitement, confusion, learning, tiredness, laughter and a few stressful moments.

From entering the event at 6:30 PM with fresh energy to reaching 6:30 AM after spending the entire night working together, it was an experience we won't forget anytime soon.

We started with very little experience and a lot of things to figure out. We didn't know exactly how everything would turn out, but we gave it our best and learned along the way.

Of course, not everything went according to plan, and there were moments when things got difficult. But that's what made the experience real.

If someone asks me what my favourite part of the hackathon was, I probably wouldn't talk about the project first. I would talk about the late-night discussions, random jokes, helping each other out, small achievements and the feeling of doing something completely new together.

Twelve hours might not seem like a lot, but spending an entire night working towards something with your teammates makes those hours feel different.

This was our first hackathon, our first overnight experience and one of those college memories that will stay with us for a long time.

TrustMesh was the project we worked on, but the experience, the teamwork and the memories were what we truly took home. And hopefully, this is just the beginning of many more such journeys.

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DEV Community: Aryan Singh

HacktoberFest 2026