I Wasn’t Even Supposed to Be There: My First Hackathon and Win

I wasn’t supposed to be at this hackathon. I had originally planned to participate in another one with my friends, but things didn’t work out. Instead of skipping it entirely, I ended up here—alone, unprepared, and intimidated.

It’s a two-day hackathon organized by SME - VIT and sponsored by Autodesk. The room is packed with seniors, experienced teams, and students from other colleges. Everyone has a team except me. I think about leaving, but I stay. If I’m already here, I might as well try.

With no plan in mind, I grab onto the first idea that makes sense—designing a spill-proof dish. Inspired by gyroscopes, I model a bowl that maintains its alignment regardless of movement, keeping food inside no matter how it tilts. I use Fusion 360 to design it, carefully adjusting the center of gravity to improve stability. The lower the center of gravity, the harder it is to tip over—just like how sitting makes you more stable than standing.

Hour by hour, I tweak, fail, iterate, and refine. The room is chaotic, but I’m locked in. By the end of the hackathon, I have a fully designed product—and, somehow, I win ?6,000.

I use the prize money to buy gadgets for my dad. But the real win? Realizing that fear doesn’t matter. Just start, make mistakes, and figure things out along the way.