HackEurope 2026: AI Slop, Front-End Demos, and the Death of Real Hackathons

HackEurope 2026: A short rant on AI and hackathons

The author recounts their experience at HackEurope 2026, a hackathon that was a 'complete shitshow' due to poor organization. They argue that front-end demos and AI-generated projects dominate, with little regard for functionality or long-term viability. They criticize the conformity AI encourages, noting that 90% of projects were 'vibe coded slop' and that cool, out-of-distribution ideas are rare. They also share practical tips on choosing tracks and explaining problems, and observe that the grand winner, an LLM-based wildfire prediction and drone cloud-seeding idea, had little substance behind its polished UI.