WHACK Fall 2020, Wellesley College

November 7-8, 2020

At WHACK, you can have fun, be creative, build, break, learn, and ask questions in a space that celebrates diversity.

At the eighth iteration of WHACK, the Wellesley College hackathon, over 300 students from colleges throughout the U.S. Northeast will come together for 32 hours to turn their ideas into reality.

Whether you’re a seasoned developer or designer, or just starting out as a beginner, there’s something at WHACK for you.

You’ll enjoy a weekend of awesome tech, food, swag, workshops, and mini-events while learning from distinguished speakers, inspiring mentors, and peers. We consider WHACK a success if you make new connections and gain skills that will stay with you long after WHACK is over.

Join us!

Slack

Channels on transportation, team formation, and announcements. Slack will be our main method of communication throughout the weekend.

Devpost

This is where you will submit your final projects. A Devpost support member will be available through Slack when submissions start rolling in.

Crowdforge

Find a hackathon team here according to your skills, interests, and goals. Still looking for an interesting team? Create your own!

Keynote Speaker

TeLisa Daughtry

TeLisa Daughtry is an Award-winning diversity & technology advocate; Serial Social Entrepreneur; angel investor; advisor; and author of 'Learn, Lead, Launch: a FlyTechnista's guide to Tech FLY & Hustle FLY'; a developer and technologist of 20 years; and Blockchain enthusiast.

She is passionate about creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship; and empowering women, youth, and people-of-color--in these spaces. In 2017, TeLisa was an honoree and recipient of an ACT4 Award; a Finalist for Code/Interactive 'Diversity in Tech Awards'; recognized on the SE100 most inspiring Social Innovations and Social Entrepreneurs around the world; named ‘Top 50 Visionary Women in Tech to Watch in 2017’ by Innov8tiv Magazine; and has been recognized as a ‘Changemaker’ by the United State of Women in 2016. She is a 2017 Ariane de Rothschild, Fellow; an alumni of Y-Combinator Startup School.

As an international speaker--she has spoken at the United Nations General Assembly, SXSW Edu, Google Women Techmakers; as well as several conferences, corporate, institutions, and community events; and has been featured on television, radio, and in publications such as Entrepreneur, Fox News, Black Enterprise, Cheddar TV, CNN, CBS Radio, Salon, Good Day New York, WeRule, Bustle, BOLD, and SWAAY. This FLYTechnista doesn't wear glass slippers, she "roundhouse-kicks GLASS CEILINGS"

Prize Categories -COMING SOON!

FAQ

What is a hackathon?
It’s a grand gathering of people to make their ideas come to life. Think out of the box, try new technologies, ask questions, make mistakes, discover a new language, and have fun! We will be following Major League Hacking's Code of Conduct. Check out their video explaining what a hackathon is here.
What if I have no experience with coding or hackathons?
Don’t sweat it! We’ve purposefully designed WHACK to offer an encouraging and supportive environment. At WHACK, you’ll quickly learn from our workshops and army of mentors, as well as your team members and other students.
When is the deadline to apply?
The deadline to apply is the midnight of October 25, 2019, and decisions will be sent out in the following weeks.
Who can attend? Is this event only for women?
We welcome any undergraduate college student 18+ to participate in WHACK. It’s important to keep in mind that we are looking to create a welcoming and empowering space for women and other underrepresented identities in tech. If you have any questions about this, please contact us!
How will mentorship work?
We believe that mentorship is essential to an effective learning experience. You will have access to wonderful mentors throughout the entire event who will help guide you and help you troubleshoot, including industry professionals, Wellesley College alums, faculty, and experienced hackers.
How will teams work?
Each team may have between 2-4 people. You and your friend may apply as a team, but everyone must submit individual applications. Members of teams who apply together will all receive the same acceptance decision.

We’ll also be facilitating team-formation activities before and during the event to help you find teams. Although you’re welcome to hack on your own, only teams are eligible to win prizes.
How will hackers be accepted?
All hackers are welcome to come once registered for the event.