How to Succeed in the MariaDB Python Hackathon, Bangalore

This is part of a blog series on the MariaDB-Python Bengaluru Hackathon announced in August 2025. Want to organize a hackathon with MariaDB? Read more about MariaDB hackathons.

Last Friday, we hosted an Ask Me Anything session with HackerEarth – and we promised to share the same insights here in written form. So here it is: your guide to success in the MariaDB Python Hackathon!

A Great Idea Is Only the Beginning

A brilliant idea submission is just the start. The real work lies in the development — and that’s exactly what’s happening this month.

We want you to succeed. Success can mean that your hackathon contribution is widely used, that it puts you in the spotlight, and that it builds your reputation as a developer who makes a real impact.

But how do you get there? Let’s start with the key goal we all share.

The Common Goal: Making MariaDB Easier to Use

Everything in this hackathon revolves around one purpose:
to make MariaDB easier to use.

There are two ways to achieve this — reflected in the two hackathon tracks:

Integration Track – making MariaDB easier to use through other applications, tools, and frameworks
Innovation Track – making MariaDB easier to use through model implementations with sample code on GitHub – almost like a tutorial

Let’s look at what that means in practice.

Integration Track: Connecting MariaDB with Other Tools

This track is about building working interfaces to MariaDB and making them easy for others to use.
Here’s the path to success:

“Works for me!” – You’ve got working code that connects MariaDB to your chosen app, tool, or environment.
“Here’s my code!” – Your code is available on GitHub, with a proper Open Source licence and documentation in a README.md.
“Here’s how my code fits into your code!” – You’ve created an upstream Pull Request to the project or tool you integrated with.
“My code is available by default for all to use!” – Your Pull Request has been accepted, and your work is now part of the official tool or framework.

That’s the ultimate win: your code becomes the default way people use MariaDB in that environment.

Innovation Track: Building Inspiring Examples

This track is about showcasing how MariaDB can be used in a smart, practical, and reproducible way.
Here’s how to get there:

“Works for me!” – Your code runs and demonstrates MariaDB functionality clearly.
“Here’s my code!” – It’s publicly available on GitHub, under an Open Source licence.
“It works with OpenFlights!” – Avoid special cases. Make your setup familiar and easy to understand.
“It’s super easy to reproduce and adapt!” – Provide clear Markdown documentation (README.md) so anyone can replicate, set up, and tweak your project effortlessly.

In short: your project should be both useful and educational.

Evaluation: Elegance, Delivery, Impact, and Sharing

When we evaluate submissions, we look at four key dimensions:

Elegance – How elegant and well thought-out is your solution?
Delivery – How solid and functional is it in practice?
Impact – How useful is it for others?
Sharing – Have you shared your work with the community?

Remember to post your project on LinkedIn, include your GitHub link, and use our official hackathon tags. Sharing your work is part of the spirit of open source — and it’s a great way to inspire others.