How I did not participate in the World's Largest Hackathon

With everyone sharing how they took part in WLH and all the cool projects they built, winners and non-winners alike. Here I am to talk about how I did not participate in the World’s Largest Hackathon, hosted by Bolt.new. I actually heard about the hackathon a few months before it started. I’ll admit, I was hyped and really looking forward to it.

It was one of those hackathons where everyone had something to gain, whether it was the cash prizes, project recognition, hands-on experience, or even just the amazing build packs that were being given out to all participants. Honestly, it was a pretty sweet deal.

As the weeks rolled by, I watched the participant numbers grow. At first, there were around 10,000 people signed up, including me, of course. I kept checking the DevPost page, following the updates, and the numbers just kept climbing.

Fast forward to the week before launch, and the numbers had skyrocketed to over 70,000. Yeah, wild, but not surprising given what was at stake.

The problem? I still didn’t know what I was going to build. With just two days left before it kicked off, the number of participants had climbed close to 100,000. I’ll be honest, I started to feel like there was no point. The idea that anything I built would stand out in that sea of submissions felt impossible. And just like that, the pressure kicked in.

So I procrastinated. I waited for the “perfect” idea to come. That unicorn concept that would blow minds. It never came. Eventually, the hackathon started, and I had nothing. Time passed. People built. People submitted. And I sat it out.

That’s how the World’s Largest Hackathon came and went—without me in it.

Here are a few questions I’ve asked myself since:

• Did I let the idea of perfection stop me from doing something meaningful?
  
  Most definitely.




• Was I intimidated by the number of participants?
  
  Oh yeah, big time.




• Was I actually too busy with work to join in?
  
  If I’m being honest—no, not really.

So what’s the point of this post? It’s this: chasing perfection often leads to anxiety. And that anxiety can turn into procrastination. You keep telling yourself you’ll start “soon,” but soon becomes never. And before you know it, the opportunity’s gone—and you realize you could’ve done something pretty solid if you had just started.

So yeah. That’s the story of how I did not participate in the World’s Largest Hackathon. Don't be like me.