Can You Join an AI Hackathon Without Coding Experience?

You do not need a programming background to apply to Unfair Weekend. You do need a problem you care about, a willingness to learn and time to test what you build. AI tools can help you create a working product, but deciding what it should do is still your job.

The event takes place at ISM University in Vilnius on November 12–15, 2026. It is free for selected participants, and you can apply solo or with teammates. You do not need a finished product before applying.

What does building without coding experience actually mean?

You describe a product’s behaviour, use an AI-assisted builder to create it, then check whether the result works. You might ask for a booking flow, inspect its screens, try it as a customer and revise what is confusing. Generating a screen is a start. Making the whole journey work is the project.

For a concrete example, read how Karolis built Habiton with almost no coding experience. His project shows what one participant accomplished; use it as inspiration for a small experiment of your own.

Prepare by learning a workflow, not by building your entry early

Practise on an unrelated exercise before the event. Create a simple page, change its layout, add a form and check the result on your phone. Learn how to save a version and recover from an unwanted change. The MVP you present at Unfair Weekend should be built from scratch during the event.

1. Choose one tool. Become comfortable making and reviewing small changes instead of switching between several unfamiliar builders.
2. Describe one person and one task. “A student finds a study partner for tomorrow’s exam” is easier to test than “a platform for all university life.”
3. Write a short acceptance checklist. What should happen when the person starts, completes or abandons the task?
4. Try the awkward cases. Empty forms, repeated clicks and a lost connection reveal problems that a polished screenshot hides.

Bring more than an idea

Bring your laptop, charger, access to your chosen tools and notes about a real problem. A few conversations with people who experience that problem can be more useful than a long slide deck. Use fictional or consented sample data when experimenting.

Design, research, writing, domain knowledge and testing are valuable contributions. If you team up, agree who owns the product flow, implementation, testing and presentation. Solo participation is also allowed; choose a scope you can manage yourself.

Choose a demo you can finish

Start with one complete journey: a person arrives with a need, takes an action and gets a useful result. Delay the extra dashboard, social feed or complex settings until that journey works. The AI hackathon ideas guide explains how to turn a larger opportunity into a weekend-sized proof.

Keep a list of what is real, what uses sample data and what remains unfinished. Explain those boundaries honestly in your demo. Ask another participant to try the product without coaching and watch where they get stuck.

How to use the four days

• Thursday: settle on the user, problem and smallest working flow.
• Friday: build the flow and ask for feedback before expanding it.
• Saturday: fix the main failures, practise the demo and submit the video by 20:00.
• Sunday: finalists present live, starting at 12:00. Be ready to explain the product’s value and limits.

Check the event schedule for updates and read how to prepare a convincing hackathon demo. Judging considers technical execution, product design, potential impact and originality.

Applications, travel and academic credit

Apply through the event website. The early application deadline is September 30, with results on October 2; the final deadline is October 28, with results on October 30. Selection considers your idea, motivation and potential contribution.

If you are travelling, start with the Vilnius participant travel guide. For students interested in academic credit, the university FAQ explains the optional ISM course and home-institution recognition. Completing the hackathon alone does not automatically award recognised credits.