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Another hackathon attendant here.

I would attend a university sponsored hackathon that had little / no prizes. I would not attend a corporate sponsored one with bad prizes.

For example, AT&T recently held a hackathon in Atlanta. The prizes were meager, and it was clear to me that ulterior motives were present. Why would anyone attend a hackathon like that is beyond me?

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I took home first prize at a AT&T hackathon here in Houston and I thought the exact same thing.

A lot of corporate ones are set up with contracts that leave your work at their mercy to continue without you. Unless there's a prize - it isn't worth it with these types of arrangements.

For social good, civil, city government, university etc - I'll do it with no expectations just to make a difference.

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