Lighting the spark: How students built UIC’s hackathon

At first, computer science student Kavya Patel was too nervous to apply to compete in UIC's SparkHacks, unsure what to expect as a first-time hacker. But a year and a half into her studies at UIC, she felt more confident in her skills, took the leap and helped her team to victory.

Sitting in the gaming chair she earned from her team's first-place finish in 2025, Patel said the teamwork she learned while building a championship hackathon project helped her want to try other new things.

"It gave me the confidence to start applying to more internships and more jobs and to branch out more," Patel said. "Honestly, if I didn't win, or even if I didn't even participate, I don't think I would have been able to build that confidence in myself to be where I am now."

Patel is now on the board of SparkHacks, helping create UIC's largest student-run hackathon.

The hackathon, a 24-hour project design competition exclusive to UIC students, completed its fourth year in February. The student-led initiative has grown in demand and participation since it started in 2023.

This year, more than 700 students applied for 300 slots in the hackathon.

"Every year it just becomes bigger and better," said Kaustubha Medikundam, a board member who graduated with a degree in computer science in December.

Student-led from the beginning

Campus hackathons were born at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 when PennApps became the nation's first student-run college hackathon.

A hackathon encourages students to form teams to build a project in a set time frame (usually 24 hours). Many require no coding skills or experience, and the rules for the project aren't revealed until the start of the event.

After the creation of PennApps, hackathons grew on college campuses to include Hack Illinois in Urbana and Tech Together at Loyola in Chicago.

Seeing local events around them, UIC's on-campus computer science organizations, like Women in Computer Science and Latinx Organization for Growth in Computing and Academics, joined forces to start their own competition.

"All these student org leaders just kind of came together and were like, we need something more at UIC," said Naga Maddipudi, a UIC grad working as a software engineer. "They just started it in 2023, and now it's just us trying to continue the traditions that they've put forward."

Because many of the board members have also participated in previous SparkHacks or other hackathons across the country, they also bring in new ideas and new members every year to keep the process fresh.

Changing roles up-skills success

Many board members are balancing full course loads, part-time jobs or even full-time industry work. Because of this balance, leadership roles intentionally rotate to encourage cross-team experience. The student-led structure of the board ensures innovation and relevance, the students say.

For example, 2026 was the first year that applications weren't accepted in a first-come, first-served system. Because of the popularity and number of applicants, the board hoped to give more first-time hackers a chance to participate. So, they reviewed each application without knowing the applicant's name.

"This year we're like, let's try to raise the bar a little bit and let's make it more of an application-based system," Maddipudi said. "So, we read the entire application, and then we choose acceptance. We want (new board members) to share ideas to see if we can make it better."

Growth fosters learning for first-time participants

Knowing how daunting the idea of a hackathon can be for first timers, the organizing students provide as much support as possible.

In addition to a no-code track created for students without a deep computing background, organizers held workshops before the hackathon to teach students about everything from managing databases to building dashboards.

"We want people to know all they need to have is a very good idea and then put it into a design which can be translated to the actual product," said Kaito Sekiya, a senior in computer science. "Really, that's a little like how it works in the industry."

The students organizing the hackathon say they hope the mentorship "hackers" receive throughout the competition will promote confidence throughout their UIC careers.

Mentors, including UIC alums, help teams, provide sponsorships or serve as judges throughout the hackathon.

"Considering this was our fourth year, we had a list of alums to reach out to and say, 'Can we get in touch with you, and would you be willing to sponsor?'" Medikundam said. "Part of the sponsorship agreement is sending mentors in, which helps them as well as us, because we're getting all the help, but they're also getting to connect with these students."

Building campus community, culture and energy

The hackathon isn't just about the project design work or winning a new smart TV. Just Dance sessions were set up during the contest, a popcorn machine was hard at work to curb snack cravings, and organizers circulated to conduct interviews with teams throughout the event.

"I was on the board last year, and our goal was to work to get these students everything that they need," Maddipudi said. "This year, one of my main goals was to make it enjoyable for not just the hackers, but also us as the board."

That sense of fun helps to create a home event that builds school pride. Even when hackers don't win a prize, they go home with UIC merch: tote bags, stickers and food.

A future goal is to create a single space for hackers to create their projects. This year, the hackathon opened with a greeting at the Computer Design Research and Learning Center, teams were given their assignments, and, after a few hours, the building closed as teams retreated to their dorms or off-campus homes. They returned the next day to complete their projects and have them judged.

The hope is to find an on-campus location that can house the 300 students for overnight strategy sessions and creation.

For now, the students have seen their hard work lead to success for their fellow classmates.

"A lot of students come to hackathons not to build like a startup, but to get experience," Sekiya said. "The way it translates to success is they get something they can put on their resume and show off that recognition."