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7‑Day Micro‑App Hackathon: Prompts, Scoring Rubric, and Mentorship Kits

ccodeacademy

2026-02-06

10 min read

A ready‑to‑run 7‑day micro‑app hackathon kit: prompts, judging rubric, and mentor templates to guide students and communities.

Start a 7‑Day Micro‑App Hackathon: a complete kit for teachers and community leaders

Hook: Your students and community members are eager to build, but they’re overwhelmed by long curricula and scattered projects. Run a weeklong micro‑app hackathon that teaches practical skills, produces portfolio pieces, and builds confidence — all while fitting into busy schedules.

The promise of micro‑apps in 2026

By late 2025 and into 2026, the rise of short‑lived, highly focused personal and community apps — often called micro‑apps or personal apps — has accelerated. Advances in generative AI, integrated code assistants, and edge‑deploy platforms mean non‑developers can prototype useful apps in days. As Rebecca Yu’s week‑long “Where2Eat” shows, what used to be a multi‑month project can now be a weekend or weeklong challenge. That makes micro‑app hackathons perfect for classroom and community learning: fast feedback loops, tangible outcomes, and strong motivation.

Why run a 7‑day micro‑app hackathon?

Low friction, high impact: Short timeboxes reduce scope creep and let participants ship real, working apps.
Portfolio‑ready projects: Each micro‑app can be deployed, demoed, and added to a student portfolio.
Inclusive learning: The format supports beginners and advanced learners with differentiated prompts and mentorship.
Community focus: Encourage apps that solve local problems — perfect for civic engagement and service learning.

Learning outcomes & success criteria

Define what success looks like before kickoff. Typical outcomes:

Ship a working micro‑app with a live demo link.
Document design decisions and basic tests.
Present a 3‑minute demo and a 5‑minute Q&A.
Reflect on accessibility, privacy, and future improvements.

Logistics checklist (before day 1)

Decide target audience: high school, university, adult learners, mixed community.
Set team sizes (solo, pairs, or teams of 3–4).
Pick tooling: GitHub/GitLab, Codespaces or Replit, Vercel/Netlify, Figma or pen & paper for UI sketches.
Recruit mentors (1 per 4–6 teams) and judges (3–5 people with varied backgrounds).
Prepare judging rubric and feedback forms (template below).
Set rules for data, minors, and content. Require parental consent if under 18.

7‑Day schedule: daily goals, mentor touchpoints, and prompts

Keep each day focused. Below is a practical schedule with mentor activities and example prompts.

Day 0 — Pre‑Hack (setup & orientation)

Send onboarding materials: tool links, starter repos, licensing guidance, privacy checklist.
Teams form, pick a prompt, create a repo, and deploy a placeholder page.
Mentor task: Quick repo checklist (README, license, issue tracker).

Day 1 — Ideation & MVP scoping

Goal: Produce a one‑paragraph problem statement and a 3‑feature MVP list.
Mentor office hour: 15‑minute scoping session to convert ideas into measurable tasks.
Deliverable: Wireframe + prioritized backlog (3 MVP issues).

Day 2 — Design & basic prototype

Goal: Build the UI shell and one core workflow.
Mentor task: Provide a frontend starter kit (React/Vue/Svelte/Vanilla) and accessibility checklist.
Deliverable: Clickable demo (hosted) and deployed MVP flow.

Day 3 — Core functionality & API work

Goal: Implement critical app logic or backend integration (local storage, simple DB, or a third‑party API).
Mentor script: Debugging checklist and quick security guidance (no secret keys in client code).
Deliverable: Working end‑to‑end flow.

Day 4 — Testing, polish & accessibility

Goal: Add tests (basic unit/e2e) or manual test cases; ensure keyboard navigation and color contrast.
Mentor activity: Run accessibility walkthrough with team for 10–15 minutes.
Deliverable: Test plan and accessibility notes.

Day 5 — Integration & deployment

Goal: Continuous deployment to a stable URL; basic CI checks if possible.
Mentor task: Guide teams through environment variables, edge functions, or static hosting.
Deliverable: Live demo link + public README and demo video (1 minute).

Day 6 — Rehearsal & feedback

Goal: Practice 3‑minute demo, refine slides, and add final tests.
Mentor role: Mock judging (3 teams per mentor) with scripted feedback.
Deliverable: Demo script and final bug list.

Day 7 — Demo day & judging

Goal: Public demo, Q&A, judges score using the rubric, winners announced.
Format: 3‑minute demo + 5‑minute Q&A per team, judges score live.
Deliverable: Final repo, deployed app, one‑page reflection.

Example challenge prompts (pick one per team)

Design prompts for varying skill levels and real world impact. Use the prompt plus 3 constraints to keep scope manageable.

Beginner

“Campus Spot Finder”: Build a micro‑app that lists quiet study spots with filters (noise level, power outlets). Constraints: no backend required, use local storage, accessible UI.
“Habit Micro‑Tracker”: 3 simple habits, streaks stored locally, export CSV.

Intermediate

“Lunch Poll”: Real‑time group decision app integrating a public restaurant API; support team chats. Constraint: Authentication optional (email or anon), deploy on the web.
“Micro‑Volunteer”: Match volunteers to short tasks in the community with location filtering and contact info. Constraint: Basic privacy rules — no personal data stored unencrypted.

Advanced

“Edge Notifier”: Build a micro‑app that deploys an edge function to send push notifications for schedule changes. Constraint: Use tokenized minimal data, show logs.
“Personal Budget Bot”: Use an LLM to categorize transactions and show a 7‑day budget forecast. Constraint: Use mock data; do not send PII to third‑party services.

Mentorship kits: scripts, checklists, and templates

Mentors are the event’s multiplier. Use these ready‑to‑use assets so every mentor gives consistent, actionable help.

15‑minute mentor check‑in script

0–2 min: Quick greeting. Ask team roles and confirm the plan for the session.
2–6 min: Ask to see the MVP flow (demo what works). Note blockers.
6–10 min: Triage blockers with targeted steps (1–3 commands or code changes).
10–12 min: Recommend one improvement for usability and one for reliability.
12–15 min: Confirm next small deliverable and schedule the next touchpoint.

Troubleshooting checklist (for mentors)

Is the repo connected to a deployment? (Vercel/Netlify/GitHub Pages)
Are environment variables safe and not in source control?
Reproduce the bug: get error messages and exact steps.
Suggest the simplest fix and an incremental test.
When stuck, pair‑program for 10 minutes and escalate to a subject‑matter mentor.

Code review checklist (short)

Repository: README describes how to run and the license.
Architecture: Clear separation of UI, logic, and data.
Security: No secrets in repos; input validation present.
Accessibility: Keyboard navigable, alt text, color contrast.
Testing: Basic tests or manual test cases documented.

Scoring rubric: fair, transparent, and instructive

Use a single rubric for all judges. Scores are 0–5 per category; assign weights so the total equals 100 points.

Recommended rubric (weights and descriptions)

Concept & Problem Fit — 15 points
Does the app clearly solve a defined problem for a target user? Score 0 (no problem) to 5 (well‑defined, validated).
Technical Implementation — 25 points
Quality of code, architecture, use of APIs, and demonstration of correct functionality. 0 = nonfunctional, 5 = robust, clean, and tested.
UX & Design — 15 points
Usability, visual clarity, and onboarding flow. 0 = confusing, 5 = intuitive and polished.
Deployment & Reliability — 15 points
Is the app deployed and demonstrably stable? CI/deploy evidence, uptime during demo. 0 = no deployment, 5 = stable with CI checks.
Accessibility & Privacy — 10 points
Accessibility considerations and data minimization. 0 = none, 5 = thoughtful and verified.
Presentation & Storytelling — 10 points
Clarity of demo, metrics, and next steps. 0 = no demo, 5 = compelling and concise.
Community Impact & Originality — 10 points
Uniqueness and potential community benefit. 0 = derivative, 5 = innovative and useful.

Scoring guidance (examples for 0–5)

0 — Not present or nonfunctional.
1 — Minimal effort; major issues or missing parts.
2 — Basic but incomplete; needs significant polish.
3 — Meets expectations; some refinement needed.
4 — Strong, minor issues only.
5 — Exemplary: polished, tested, and thoughtfully designed.

Tie‑breakers and bonuses

Give +5 bonus points for open‑sourced repos with good CONTRIBUTING.md and permissive license.
Tie‑breaker hierarchy: Technical Implementation → Community Impact → Accessibility.

Judging logistics

Each judge scores independently; average scores across judges per category.
Use a shared spreadsheet or form to collect scores in real time.
Allow judges 24–48 hours after demos to submit final scores if necessary.
Provide each team with anonymized judge comments for learning — not just the number.

Awards, certificates, and post‑hack pathways

Standard awards: Best Technical, Best UX, Most Impactful, People’s Choice.
Certificates: Issue PDF certificates that list the team, app name, and category.
Next steps: Offer incubation support, continued mentorship, or a showcase event.

Safety, privacy, and inclusion rules

Protecting participants and users must be explicit:

Ban storing sensitive personal data in demos. Require mock or anonymized data for apps that process personal info.
Obtain consent for any public demo that includes participant images or photos.
Provide clear code of conduct and escalation path.

2026 trends to incorporate

AI‑assisted development: Encourage teams to use code assistants responsibly — cite generated code, verify outputs, and add tests.
Edge & serverless microservices: Show how micro‑apps can leverage edge functions for low latency and tiny cost.
Privacy by design: With increased regulation and awareness in 2025–2026, privacy is now a first‑class concern.
Tooling maturity: Use Codespaces, cloud dev environments, and instant deployment pipelines to lower the setup burden.

“Once vibe‑coding apps emerged, I started hearing about people with no tech backgrounds successfully building their own apps.” — Rebecca Yu (TechCrunch, referenced)

Sample mentor feedback templates (copy/paste)

Quick praise + one improvement

“Great job on the MVP and the live demo! The onboarding is clear. One improvement: extract repeated UI code into a component and add a single unit test for the core workflow.”

Bug triage message

“Reproduced the issue on Chrome and Safari. Root cause: missing null check when reading localStorage. Fix: add a safe accessor and add a test that asserts fallback behavior.”

Accessibility note

“Nice color palette. Add visible focus outlines and test keyboard navigation for the entire flow. Use aria‑labels for form controls.”

Post‑hackathon: turning micro‑apps into lasting learning artifacts

Encourage teams to write a short case study: problem, approach, tech choices, lessons learned.
Offer a follow-up 4‑week clinic to help promising projects add tests, CI, and polish.
Promote the best projects to a community showcase and invite local organizations to adopt useful micro‑apps. Consider event coordination playbooks like micro-event orchestration to make adoption easier.

Actionable takeaways — printable checklist

Pick a clear audience and 1–3 learning outcomes.
Choose tooling that minimizes setup friction (hosted IDE + one‑click deploy).
Recruit mentors with defined roles and a 15‑minute script.
Use the provided rubric and require a deployed demo.
Plan post‑hack support to convert winners into portfolio projects or community services.

Final notes & future predictions

Micro‑app hackathons are uniquely aligned with learning goals in 2026: they embrace rapid prototyping, AI‑assisted coding, and community impact. As tools continue to automate routine tasks, the pedagogical value shifts toward problem framing, design thinking, and responsible deployment. Running this 7‑day format gives students the chance to iterate quickly, get expert feedback, and leave with something they can show employers or community partners.

Call to action

Ready to run your own micro‑app hackathon? Use this kit: copy the rubrics, paste the mentor scripts, and pick one of the ready‑made prompts. If you want, share your schedule and team roster with a peer organizer in your network and schedule a mentor briefing 48 hours before kickoff. Start small, ship fast, and let the micro‑apps you build this week solve real problems for your students and community.

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