The goal of each hackathon (and each team) can vary a lot.  There is a big difference between say a local community hackathon and TechCrunch Disrupt.<p>The most common goals I&#x27;ve seen are:<p>- to learn a new tech: API &#x2F; framework &#x2F; language &#x2F; etc.<p>- to build a random side project<p>- to solve a small personal pain point<p>- to begin to solve a larger problem that many people in the world experience (i.e., an idea with potential to become a startup) [1]<p>- just to win prizes<p>1: A lot of people think this is the only way to compete in a hackathon, or will go out of their way to present their product or idea as if it were a potential company, even if that&#x27;s unrealistic.  I don&#x27;t think this is the best or only way to participate.