SotonHack

​Welcome to our second edition of SotonHack! This will also be our first event open for anyone to join. ​Enjoy 24 hours at the heart of Highfield Campus at Southampton - free food, sponsor events, energy drinks and catering throughout the hack. Join solo, or in teams to compete for over £1000 in prizes!What should I bring with me?Your Laptop: The most important equipment. SotonHack will sadly not be able to provide computer access to non-Southampton students on the day.Overnight Gear: The building will be open all night, so you are welcome to stay and hack all night! Just a heads-up that we are not providing a dedicated sleeping area or beds. If you play on catching a quick nap, make sure to bring whatever you need to get comfortable.Toiletries: A toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant. A quick refresh goes a long way during a weekend hackathon.Hardware: Feel free to bring any electronics or equipment you need to make the most exciting project possible.What time will we start and expect to finish?Try and get to the event by 9:00am to get registered and checked in before the opening ceremony at 10:30 am. This is also a great opportunity to say hello to fellow hackers (and potential teammates)   We expect to round off the closing ceremony by 4:00 pm on Sunday, though you are free to stick around a little while after the event.Any tips?While we can't give away the tracks (yet!), here are some words of advice collected from the organisers and others:Ideate!Plan first! Ideation should take an hour or more and is definitely the most crucial part of your project.Talk to the judges!Sponsors and organisers are there to support you. Ask for feedback as you go along. They won't be there for the overnight shift, so reach out to them early.Teamwork!Get to know your teammates, find out what they are good at, and find tasks that are independent and cleanly divided between you.Get (some) sleep!Caffeine is great, but if you feel an energy crash, doubling down doesn't always help. A couple of hours of sleep can go a long way.Time!You have 24 hours, and it goes by very fast. make sure your project is defined and manageable. Overreaching is never the best strategy in a time-limited event. There'll be plenty of snacks, side quests, and other opportunities to get you sidetracked, so get the most important features finished first!Have fun!You're not at a hackathon every day, so be sure to keep an eye out for announcements over the day on tech talks, fun events, and side challenges to make the most out of the event.Where is the hackathon?You can find the venue at:The Gower Building, 112 Burgess Road, Southampton, SO17 1TWOr onGoogle Maps hereNote: The entrance will be at thewestentrance of the building.Best of luck on the day, we're all super excited to see you on campus for SotonHack '26!!!