as of 11 november 2026. registration is open until kickoff on 8 january 2027.
as featured in
12 hackathons worth your fall and winter
and our organiser's story, a hackernoon top story: i'm 13 and i built a global hackathon for teens with almost no budget
why sponsor checkpoint
a young audience, worldwide
builders aged 13 to 18 in 25+ countries, many of them making something for the first time. the tools they meet now are the ones they're likely to keep using.
safe by design
every participant needs a parent or guardian's permission. there's a published code of conduct, and sponsors, judges and mentors never message participants privately. everything happens in public, on devpost.
run in the open
submissions, judging and discussion all live on devpost, so you can see exactly what your prize did. after each event we publish a recap with registrations, countries and submissions.
what sponsors give
in-kind, for the online events
checkpoint's online events are in-kind: every prize is donated, and none is cash. the best prizes are things a teenager can use straight away, with no card and no paid account. cash goes to our in-person events, where there are real costs.
- craftpix1-year memberships for all six winning teams, plus a free asset library for everyone
- gen.xyza free 1-year .xyz domain for every team that submits
- 1passworda 1-year family plan for one winning team
- codecraftersvip memberships for the top three teams, every team member included
- formaloocredits for the top three teams
- hcl studioa one-page website and 12 months' hosting, no contract, for all six winning teams
- cleanshotlicences for every member of the top three teams
prizes that work well: software licences, learning memberships, hosting and domains, tools with a free tier, asset packs and credits.
cash levels for checkpoint journeys
our in-person series
checkpoint journeys is our in-person series. the first is a one-day hackathon for about 30 students in hanoi, in march 2027, with the venue and date being confirmed. ho chi minh city and singapore follow later in 2027.
cash goes to the hack foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which handles invoices and receipts. anything raised beyond the hanoi budget carries over to the next event.
- friend$50 · about 1.3m vndyour name on the event page and in the recap post
- supporter$150 · about 4m vnda small logo on the site, event page and slides, and a thank-you at the closing
- fuel sponsorone only$300 · about 8m vndpays for lunch, snacks and drinks for the room. named food sponsor on the site and on signage at the food table, thanked at the opening and closing, logo in the recap post
- prize sponsor$500 · about 13m vndfunds one category's prize, named "best [category], presented by [you]". a representative presents it at the closing, with a medium logo on the site, event page and slides, and two guest passes to the demos
- presenting sponsorone only$1,150 · about 30m vndcovers the whole event. named in the title, "checkpoint journeys: hanoi, presented by [you]", with the largest logo everywhere, five minutes at kickoff, a mention in every social post and four guest passes to the demos
or give in kind
- venue partnerthe room, wifi and power for the day. credit as venue partner, free places for your students, and a thank-you at the opening and closing
- food partnerlunch, or snacks and drinks, for about 35 people, with the same recognition as the fuel sponsor
- prize partnerproducts, licences or vouchers for the winners, named and presented at the closing, with your logo on the site and event page
- print partnerbadges, signage and certificates, with your logo on the printed materials and your name on the event page
travel and food packages for ho chi minh city and singapore are set separately. ask us.
how we work with sponsors
the same at every level
- prizes have to be usable by 13 to 17 year olds without a paid account or a credit card.
- a prize should cost the winner nothing, so no discounts, and no free trials that turn into paid plans.
- we don't hand over participants' details, and sponsors don't message participants. contact is public: on devpost and in the public channels of our discord.
- workshops and office hours are welcome, in public or recorded, with two of our organisers present throughout.
- judging is separate from sponsorship. no level includes a judging seat.
- anyone attending an in-person event follows the code of conduct and stays in shared spaces with adults present.
how to sponsor
three steps
- email hello@checkpointhacks.org with what you'd like to give, and who can use it.
- tell us the minimum age for any account involved. we check it before we announce anything.
- we reply within a couple of days, agree the details in writing, and you send your logo.
we show every logo in a single colour (white) to suit the site. tell us if that's a problem.
sponsor questions
anything else, just ask
do you take cash for the online events?
no. checkpoint 01 and 02 are online, and every prize is donated. cash goes to the in-person journeys events, where there are real costs: venue, food and travel.
can we offer a discount or a free trial?
not as a prize. winners are teenagers in many countries, and a prize should cost them nothing. licences, credits and free tiers that need no card work well.
can our team run a workshop or message participants?
workshops and office hours, yes: in public or recorded, with two of our organisers present, and with your team agreeing to our code of conduct first. private messages with participants, no.
can someone from our company judge?
no. judging is separate from sponsorship, and no sponsor level includes a judging seat.
how will you recognise us?
a logo on this site and the devpost page, a thank-you at the opening and closing, and credit in our recap and social posts. the bigger levels get more, as listed above.
will we see results?
yes. after each event we publish a recap with registrations, countries and submissions, and we send it to our sponsors.
who runs checkpoint?
checkpoint is run by students. it's fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
help a teenager ship their first thing
free to enter. ages 13–18, anywhere.