To understand what it really takes to win, we sat down with two of our champions: Luis Beqja, a KdG applied informatics student who swept the North Star AGI AI Hackathon with both "Best Tech" and "Jury's Choice" awards, and Samuel Berton, a BCG professional who claimed the "Most Creative" award at the same event. Their combined insights reveal a winning formula that transcends experience levels.
What Is a Hackathon, Really?
TL;DR
Hackathons are intense, time-bound events where you build working prototypes, requiring both technical skills and strategic thinking.
Luis
"At its core, a hackathon is an intense event where you collaborate to create working prototypes. It's a sprint of creativity, problem-solving, and rapid development, fueled by large amounts of coffee and pizza. The last hackathon I even forgot to take the lunch break :)" (he says with a smile)
Samuel
"Yeah, not only that. You're not just building something; you're solving a problem in a way that resonates with judges. The word 'hackathon' might come from hacking marathon. But unlike a marathon, you can't just put your head down and run. You need strategy."
Luis
"Right, but first you have to actually build something that doesn't crash when you demo it. Which is harder than it sounds."
The pizza at the first North Star hackathon
Learn and Grow by Participating
TL;DR
Hackathons offer career opportunities, practical experience, networking, and skill development while being a lot of fun!
Interviewer
"So why put yourself through this?"
Luis
"For students like myself, it's a great opportunity to skip traditional job screening processes and land your dream job. I got my internship at Wobby partly because they saw what I built. Plus, you gain practical experience that university can't provide, and you get to meet incredible people and build your professional network."
Samuel
"For me, it is about getting out of my comfort zone and actually build something. Hackathons force you to ship something in a short period instead of just waiting around."
Luis
"But you can also come and just have fun and meet some new nerdy friends." (Samuel cringes a bit when Luis say this)
The Team as THE KEY to Win
TLDR:
Form diverse teams with complementary skills before the event, but don't let going solo stop you from participating and potentially winning.
Interviewer
"Let's get tactical. What do you do before the hackathon even begins?"
Luis
"Preparation is everything. First, I always try to form diverse team. I text my friends to see who is available: a strong coder, a designer, and… a good presenter. Of course, I'm a combination of all."
Samuel
"But don't let not having a team stop you! I showed up alone to my first North Star hackathon and formed my team on the day itself. We still had a lot of fun and took home the "Best Creativity Prize.""
Luis
"That's a great point. While pre-formed teams are easier, the organizers usually have team-formation sessions at the start. And you can still win, just like Samuel"
Random picture of Michael Jordan who was quoted saying: "Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships"
Execution Strategies for Winning
TLDR:
Spend time defining the problem and minimum viable product before coding and be prepared to pivot during the competition.
Interviewer
"What's your first move to win hackathons?"
Luis
"Don't jump straight into coding! This is perhaps the number 1 mistake people make. Spend the first hour or two defining what you want to do. Ask yourself: What specific problem are we addressing? What's the minimum viable product we can build?"
Samuel
"Exactly. I typically follow four steps: problem definition, brainstorm, execution, and pitch preparation. But be agile and challenge each other until you understand what exactly you are solving for. Most hackathons I have won, we had to pivot during the competition and you don't want to do that 5 minutes before submitting."
Interviewer
"Speaking of pivoting, how do you manage time and scope?"
Samuel
"Focus on the results. Results are more important than process. For app development, front-end is usually more important than back-end. The jury won't see your beautifully written API that you spent 10 hours on, but they will see the front-end with barely any functionality in the back."
Luis
"Indeed, build your core functionality first and resist the urge to add too many features. A simple solution is always better than an incomplete one. You can always mention on the presentation the future implementation that you want to add in your product!"
The Secret Weapons: Tools and Technology
TLDR:
Choose familiar tech stack and use AI coding assistants wisely without over-relying on them.
Interviewer
"What's in your digital arsenal?"
Samuel
"Make sure you pick your tech stack in advance or at least know what you comfortable with. In the timeframe of a hackathon, you don't have time to watch 4 hours of YouTube tutorials. This is especially useful when the internet breaks down."
Luis
"Collaboration between team members using Git is for me number one. It allows you to move way faster, together as a team, rather than individuals."
Samuel
"And don't forget about vibecoding." (laughs)
Luis
"Yes, tools like Claude Code can really help you accelerate. However, don't overrely on them as you have limited time to fix things. And I'm speaking from experience"
Samuel
"All-in-all, I also always try to learn something new or improve my existing skillset. Remember these skills aren't just useful in competitions. They can be applied in my daily work as well. That way, hackathons make me better, whether I win or not."
The Make-or-Break Moment: The Pitch
TLDR:
The presentation is crucial for winning, so practice your pitch, create strong demos, and make your solution memorable and impactful.
Interviewer
"You've built something amazing. How do you win now?"
Samuel
"Finally, you are going to have to pitch it in a video or in front of the audience. The pitch is ultimately the thing you will be judged on, so super important to really nail this one."
Luis
"Indeed, don't forget the presentation! The best idea in the world won't win if you can't articulate it well. Practice your pitch, highlight the problem, your solution, its impact, and your future vision. A strong demo is crucial, so save some time to really make it stick."
Samuel
"Final advice: stand out as much as possible. When we won, we made a really funny video. All of this contributed to how memorable we were, and how we won in the end."
Samuel & Luis as winners on the first hackathon
AI Hackathon III: Aug 30, 2025 / 10:00-20:00 GMT+2 / The Beacon, Antwerp
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Luis Beqja — KdG Student, Wobby Intern, Best Tech Winner
Samuel Berton — BCG Professional, Most Creative Winner