HackYeah 2026 – Europe's biggest stationary hackathon – takes place on October 3–4 at TAURON Arena Kraków. Among the mentors of this year's 12th edition is Marcin Golonka, CEO of Halfbit. We've gathered the key facts about the event in one place: dates, agenda, tasks and prizes, plus how the mentors work and where Marcin can help.
What's in this article?
- What is HackYeah?
- HackYeah 2026 – dates, venue and who can take part
- HackYeah 2026 agenda
- Tasks and prizes
- HackYeah 2026 mentors – including Halfbit's Marcin Golonka
- After the hackathon: how to turn a prototype into a product
- HackYeah 2026 – frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. What is HackYeah?
HackYeah is – in the organizers' words – Europe's biggest stationary hackathon: 24 hours of coding, teamwork and presenting finished solutions to a jury. But it's more than a hackathon. Alongside it runs a conference with talks from industry experts, a partner zone, a CTF Arena with cyber security challenges (Capture The Flag) and She Hacks – a space for women in tech. The 2026 edition is the event's twelfth.
2. HackYeah 2026 – dates, venue and who can take part
- Dates: October 3–4, 2026 (Saturday and Sunday)
- Venue: TAURON Arena Kraków
- Team: 1 to 6 people – join solo, bring your own team or form one on site
- Age: adults only (18+)
You don't need to be a developer or a hackathon veteran to take part. The organizers welcome developers, UX/UI and graphic designers, testers, analysts, project managers, communication specialists – and anyone with an idea worth turning into a real solution. Registration and up-to-date information are on the official website, hackyeah.pl.
3. HackYeah 2026 agenda
Saturday, October 3
- 08:30 – check-in and registration
- 10:00 – official opening
- 10:30 – team building: find your teammates and plan your strategy
- 11:00 – tasks unlocked, coding starts
- 11:05 – keynote “Digital technologies and analogue mountain rescue at TOPR” (the Tatra Volunteer Rescue Service)
- 11:30 – final team formation
- 12:00 – conference programme begins
- 16:00 – pizza break
- 20:00 – checkpoint: first project draft due
Sunday, October 4
- 11:00 – final submission deadline and start of project evaluation
- 12:00 – keynote
- 15:00 – finalists announced
- 16:00 – final pitching sessions
- 17:45 – winners announced and awards ceremony
We took the agenda from the organizer's website (as of September 17, 2026) – it's worth checking for changes before you head out.
4. Tasks and prizes
HackYeah 2026 tasks fall into two categories. Teams choose a task before the event, and the full details are revealed only when coding begins.
- Open Tasks – the problem is only outlined and there are many possible solutions. The most interesting ones win. Prize pool: PLN 25,000.
- Partner Tasks – the task organizer clearly states what solution is expected. Prize pool: PLN 70,000.
Beyond the prizes, there's also recognition and the chance to work with the event's partners.
5. HackYeah 2026 mentors – including Halfbit's Marcin Golonka
Mentors are on site throughout the hackathon – experts who help teams see their projects from a new perspective, get past problems and turn ideas into working solutions. This year they include engineers, architects, product managers and security specialists from companies such as Allegro, Netflix, IBM, SAP, Cisco and Capgemini, as well as startup founders and university lecturers.
One of them is Marcin Golonka, CEO of Halfbit. Day to day, Marcin runs the company and works as a full stack .NET developer with a DevOps background. At Halfbit, we build AI solutions, automate processes and integrate our clients' systems. Teams can benefit from that experience especially when:
- choosing an architecture and tech stack that lets them finish within 24 hours,
- wiring up AI models, agents and external APIs,
- getting the project running reliably for the jury presentation,
- narrowing the idea down to a version they can realistically build before Sunday's deadline.
6. After the hackathon: how to turn a prototype into a product
The hackathon ends on Sunday, but good ideas don't have to end with it. A prototype built in 24 hours is great proof that an idea makes sense – but there's usually a long way from there to a system you can trust in production: security, testing, scaling, integrations with existing systems and maintenance.
That's what we do at Halfbit every day. We help companies go from an idea or prototype to a working solution – from IT consulting and choosing the architecture, through custom software, to AI deployments such as our AI Helpdesk. Beyond commercial projects, we also support young talent – we wrote about it after the NEURON Kalisz Robotics League.
7. HackYeah 2026 – frequently asked questions (FAQ)
When and where is HackYeah 2026?
HackYeah 2026 takes place on October 3–4, 2026 (Saturday and Sunday) at TAURON Arena Kraków.
How long does HackYeah last?
The hackathon itself lasts 24 hours – coding starts on Saturday at 11:00 and final solutions are due on Sunday at 11:00. After that, the jury evaluates the projects, finalists pitch their solutions and the winners are announced on Sunday at 17:45.
Who can take part in HackYeah 2026?
Anyone aged 18 or over – you don't have to be a developer. You can join solo or in a team of up to 6 people, and you can also form a team on site.
What prizes are there at HackYeah 2026?
The prize pool is PLN 25,000 for Open Tasks and PLN 70,000 for Partner Tasks (according to the organizer's website, as of September 17, 2026).
Who are the HackYeah 2026 mentors?
They are experts from tech companies, startups and universities who support teams on site as they work on their projects. Among them is Marcin Golonka, CEO of Halfbit.
Where can I find more information about HackYeah 2026?
The current agenda and the lists of tasks, mentors, speakers and partners are on the official website, hackyeah.pl.
See you at HackYeah 2026 in Kraków! And if you have an idea – from a hackathon or from your own company – that you'd like to turn into a working AI or automation product, let's talk.
