Finding Judges When You Have No Network¶
Most hackathon guides assume you already know engineers or professionals who can judge. This guide is for when you don't.
Goal: Recruit 3–6 judges who will show up, stay for 2–3 hours, and give useful feedback to student teams.
Who Makes a Good Judge¶
You don't need a VP of Engineering. Good judges are anyone who:
- Works in tech, design, business, or a STEM field (including grad students)
- Can evaluate student work fairly and give constructive feedback
- Will actually show up and stay for the judging period
Good sources that are often overlooked: - Graduate students in CS, engineering, or business programs at nearby universities - Local government tech departments (city IT, digital services) - Nonprofit tech orgs and coding bootcamp instructors - Recent alumni from your school who went into tech (your school may have a directory) - Teachers from other schools who teach CS or STEM
Where to Find Judges¶
1. LinkedIn (best response rate for cold outreach)¶
Search for:
- "software engineer" [your city]
- "product manager" [your city]
- "data scientist" [your city] "university"
Filter by: 2nd-degree connections first (higher reply rate), then 1st jobs, then open to networking.
Message template (keep it short):
Hi [Name], I'm a [grade] student organizing [HACKATHON NAME] at [SCHOOL] on [DATE]. We're looking for judges to evaluate student projects for 2-3 hours. No prep required — we provide a rubric. Would you be open to participating? Happy to share more details.
Connect request + message has ~3x better open rate than InMail.
2. Local ACM / IEEE / WiCS Chapters¶
Search "[your city] ACM chapter" or "[nearest university] ACM". Most chapters have a contact form or officer list. Email the president or VP directly asking if any members would volunteer as judges.
This works because: chapter officers get credit for connecting members to community events, so they're incentivized to help.
3. Coding Bootcamp Alumni Networks¶
Bootcamps (General Assembly, Fullstack Academy, Flatiron, local equivalents) have alumni who are recent grads actively trying to build their professional presence. Many are happy to judge student hackathons — it's resume-worthy for them too.
Google "[your city] coding bootcamp alumni slack" — many have public channels.
4. Your Teachers' Network¶
Ask your CS, math, or science teachers if they know any industry professionals. Even one warm connection unlocks a chain: one judge who had a good experience will often refer another.
5. Parents of Students¶
Put a line in your registration form: "Do you have a parent or guardian who works in tech or a STEM field? We're looking for judges — can we reach out?" This is consistently the highest-conversion source for school-based hackathons.
Outreach Timeline¶
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks out | Start outreach; aim for 2x your target (expect 50% dropout) |
| 4 weeks out | Send follow-ups to non-replies |
| 2 weeks out | Confirm with everyone who said yes |
| 3 days out | Send logistics email (time, location, parking, schedule) |
| Day before | Send reminder with rubric attached |
What to Send Confirmed Judges¶
One week before the event, send a single email with:
- Date, location, parking/arrival instructions
- Schedule: when judging starts, how long it takes
- The judging rubric (link to
equity-pack/judging/rubric.md) - How many teams they'll see (each judge typically sees 4–8 teams)
- Your phone number for day-of questions
Keep it under 200 words. Judges are busy.
Judge Recruitment Email Template¶
Subject: Judge at [HACKATHON NAME]? [DATE] — 2-3 hours, [CITY]
Hi [Name],
I'm a [grade/role] student organizing [HACKATHON NAME] at [SCHOOL NAME] on [DATE] — a [N]-hour hackathon where [brief description].
We're looking for judges to evaluate student projects. The commitment is 2-3 hours during the judging window ([TIME RANGE]). We provide a clear rubric — no prep required.
This is a great opportunity to [meet student builders / give back to the community / etc.].
Would you be open to participating? I'm happy to answer any questions.
[Your name] [School / club name] [Phone number]
If You're Short on Judges¶
Minimum viable: 3 judges for up to 15 teams is workable if you use a structured rubric and rotate efficiently.
Backup options: - Ask teachers to fill in (not ideal for credibility, but better than canceling) - Use a public vote component for one category (e.g., "People's Choice") to reduce judge load - Ask any sponsor rep who attends if they'd be willing to help judge
After the Event¶
Send every judge a thank-you email within 48 hours. Include: - The winning project and a brief description - A photo from the event if you have one - A line about whether you're planning to run it again
Judges who feel appreciated come back. Judges who feel ignored don't.