What is a Qiskit Hackathon?

Definition:

• organized by Qiskit community member
• hosted by a University
• supported by Qiskit
  • financial support: ~2000 USD, swags and prizes
  • technical support: send Qiskit coaches

Past Qiskit Hackathons:

• 11-12 Oct: Qiskit Hackathon @ Singapore
• 18-19 Oct: MSU-IBM Quantum Computing Bootcamp with Qiskit
• 16 Nov: CSS Qiskit Hackathon

Day 1

Morning

9-12: Welcome & Tutorials

Afternoon

12-13: Lunch

13-14: Team Formation

14-18: Hacking

Evening

18-19: Dinner

19-21: Hacking

Day 2

Morning

8-12: Hacking

Afternoon

12-13: Lunch

13-15: Hacking

15-16: Science Fair

16-17: Pitching

17-18: Judging & Ceremony

Evening

18-21: Dinner & Networking

Typical Schedule

Need: Team, Participants, Speakers, Coaches, Judges, Venue, Food, Funding

How to get what you need?

• Organizing Team: find a partner
• Participants: recruit via marketing
• Speakers: Qiskit + University
• Coaches: Qiskit + University
• Judges: University
• Venue: University => funding
• Food: Catering => funding
• Funding: Qiskit + University

Planning

How to start planning?

• Find a team
  • ​at least one partner (Anurag Saha Roy)
  • find someone who is equally passionate about quantum computing as yourself
• Talk to Qiskit:
  • email: hello@qiskit.camp (Brian Ingmanson)
  • express interest of organizing a Qiskit Hackathon
• Talk to University:
  • contact relevant department/institute
    • quantum center (Centre for Quantum Technologies)
    • department of physics, chemistry or computer science
  • ask for support: venue, funding, logistics

* example of QH@SG

Ideal Timeline

• T-14W: Find a team
• T-12W: Contact Qiskit & University for discussion (4 weeks)
• T-8W: Discussion of legal agreement (2 weeks)
• After signing legal agreement, the date is clear. The date should be 4-6 weeks after signing legal agreement.
• T-6W: Marketing planning (2 weeks)
• T-4W: Marketing (2 weeks)
• T-2W: Select participants (1 week)
• T-1W: Confirmation of participants

Plan ahead to account for unexpected delays

Actual timeline for QH@SG

• T-14W T-19W: Find a team
• T-12W T-18W: Contact Qiskit & University for discussion (4 weeks 6 weeks)
• T-8W T-12W: Discussion of legal agreement (2 weeks 8 weeks)
• After signing legal agreement, the date is clear. The date should be 4-6 weeks after signing legal agreement.
• T-6W T-4W: Marketing planning (2 weeks 1 week)
• T-4W T-3W: Marketing (2 weeks 2 days)
• T-2W: Select participants (1 week)
• T-1W: Confirmation of participants

Plan ahead to account for unexpected delays !!!

Participants

First thing: decide the target number of participants which is going to affect many other decisions

• Number: 20-50
• Team size: 3-5 people
• # of teams: <12

• Factors: venue, number of coaches, budget, time, etc.

• Suggestion:

  • Keep it small and sweet

  • # of participants < 8 times # of coaches

 

The hackathon should target local participants to minimize logistics. Participants coming from other cities can join only if they can arrange accommodation and transportation

Theme

The theme of the hackathon is going to decide the participant mixture. If this is the first quantum hackathon in your University/City, the theme can be just "Quantum". Other themes you can consider:

• Quantum games/arts/sounds
• Quantum chemistry
• Quantum algorithms
• Quantum machine learning

Participant mixture:

• Scientists: physicists, chemists, biologists, engineers
• Developers: software, game, web
• Designers: artists, UI
• Domain experts: finance, ML, chemists, etc. 

Marketing

Marketing Channels

After deciding the theme and participant mixture, use marketing channels to achieve the ideal mixture.

Registration

3 different ways:

• Invitate-only: too exclusive
• Open registration: not selective
• Screening: too time-consuming

Suggestion:

1. Invite 20-30% participants
2. Target ideal mixture via marketing
3. Open registration to fill the remaining spots

 

Tools: Eventbrite, AirTable, or Google Forms

Running

Before the event

• Fix the schedule
• Plan pre-hackathon events
• Plan tutorials / workshops
• Look for volunteers to run the hackathon (>4):
  • MC, technical support, logistics, social media
• create a dedicated Slack channel on Qiskit workspace
  • contact Leron Gil for assistance
• Create a github repository
• Find a platform for team formation

Pre-hackathon events

Pre-hackathon events can significantly improve overal hackathon experience. There are optional pre-hackathon events that you can consider.

• Share learning resources with particiapnts
  • Qiskit for Educators
  • IBM Q experience
• Online interactions via Slack
  • self-introductions
  • brainstorming
• Workshops
  • quantum games
  • quantum machine learning
  • quantum algorithms
• Networking party

Tutorials / Workshops

There should be tutorials/workshops on Day 1 morning to prepare all participants for the hackathon.

 

Suggested sessions:

• Quantum computing 101 (30 min)
• Qiskit basics (1h)
  • terra, IBM Q Experience
• Qiskit applications (1h)
  • aqua, QML, chemistry, games (focus on one topic)

Feedbacks from QH@SG:

• Make sure workshops stay on schedule
• should be more hands-on!

Team formation/Ideation

1. Post idea/team on website:
   • hackathon.io (recommended)
   • crowdforge.io
   • Github
2. Pitch ideas (1 min each)
3. Team formation
4. Vetting of ideas (after 1 hour)
   • feasibility
   • duplications
5. Assign one coach for each team

Hacking

• Coaches should check their teams regularly. Help the teams define their projects, direct them to resources to solve problems that they encounter.
• Organizers should also go around to that all the teams are going smoothly and if they need anything.
• Alert everyone 1 hr before Science Fair and Final Pitching to get parepared.

Judging

Judging sessions:

• Science fair
• Elevator pitch (3 min)
• Close-door discussion among judges

 

Judging criteria:

• Originality and Uniqueness (25%)

• Usefulness and Complexity (25%)

• Quantum Community Benefit (25%)

• Presentation & Science Fair (25%)

Ceremony/Prizes

All participants:

• Participation certificate & swags

 

Winners:

1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes provided by Qiskit

 

Optional: community choice

Aftermath

After hackathon

• Dinner & Networking Party
• Post-event survey
• Finalize project descriptions and link to Github
• Recap articles
  • by CQT
  • by Anurag
  • by Junye
• Follow up meeting (a few weeks later)
  • Plan continue development of projects
  • Submit to IBM Q Awards

Resources

• Qiskit Hackathon University Guide
  • Official guide prepared by Qiskit
  • email hello@qiskit.camp for the latest version
• Qiskit Hackathon Guide
  • Unofficial guide prepared by me and others
• Hackathon Guide
  • A general guide for hackathons

Qiskit Hackathon Guide

Unofficial guide made by Qiskit community members,  inspired by https://hackathon.guide/:

• Collaborative
  • update and maintained by Qiskit hackathons organizers and participants
• Practical
  • include useful tools and templates
• Contain region/culture specific info