About the challenge

Checkpoint is a hackathon series for builders aged 13 to 18. Our online events give you 48 hours to build something around a theme. Checkpoint Journeys are the in-person version: one day, one room, about 30 students, and a team around you.

This is Journeys: Hanoi, and the theme is Save Point.

Build something that preserves something worth keeping: a tradition, a craft, a language, a place or a story. Think of the moment in a game where you save before something changes. What would you save, who is it for, and how do you make sure it's still there tomorrow?

It can be a game, an app, a website, a tool or an experience. It doesn't have to be serious or solemn, but it has to be good, and it has to save something.

Journeys: Hanoi runs on Saturday 20 March 2027, from 08:00 to 18:00, in Hanoi, Vietnam. It's free, in person, and open to anyone aged 13 to 18 who can attend. The venue is True North International School in Hanoi, our venue partner. Huge thanks to them for opening their doors to us.

You do not need experience. Many of the people who turn up will never have finished a project before, and that's a normal starting point, not a problem. We start the day by choosing a project small enough to finish, and there are people in the room all day to help when you get stuck.

Use any tool, any language, and as much AI as you want, as long as you tell us how you used it.

A note: Checkpoint is a student-run series, fiscally sponsored by The Hack Foundation (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit). Parents or guardians are on site all day as chaperones, every participant has a signed consent form, and we have a published code of conduct. Read more on our website: https://checkpointhacks.org

Our community Discord is open for updates, teammates and questions before the day: https://discord.gg/wQVdTKrEr5 It's optional. Everything official stays here on Devpost.

The day

All times are Hanoi time (ICT, UTC+7).

What to build

A project that saves something. That's the only rule on what to build, and beyond that, anything goes.

• Any tool or framework. Godot, Unity, GameMaker, Scratch, Twine, plain HTML and JavaScript, Python, a no-code builder, or something we haven't heard of.
• Any kind of project. A game, an app, a website, an interactive story, a tool or a small archive. If you can show it to a judge in two minutes, it qualifies.
• Any scope. A small project made well beats an ambitious one left half-finished. You have one day, so aim small.
• AI is allowed. Use it for code, art, audio, writing and ideas. You'll be asked to say what you used, and you're judged on the result, not the method.
• Solo or in a team of up to four. Team size does not affect how you're judged.

Everything you submit must be made during the day. See the Rules for exactly what that means.

Not sure what to save?

Some starting points:

• A tradition. A family custom, a festival, a way of celebrating that your grandparents remember differently from you
• A craft. How something is made by hand, step by step, before the people who know it are gone
• A language. A dialect, a regional word, a script, a way of speaking that's fading
• A place. A street, a market or a neighbourhood in Hanoi as it is today, before it changes
• A story. A folk tale, a family story, a memory someone told you that nobody has written down

Ask someone. The best Save Point projects usually start with a real person who knows something worth keeping, such as a grandparent, a craftsperson or a neighbour. Ask their permission before you record or share what they tell you, and credit them.

Interpret the theme loosely. If you can explain what you're saving and who it's for, it counts.

Get started

1. Register here on Devpost. Free, takes a minute. 
2. Send your consent form. Every participant needs a signed form from a parent or guardian (18-year-olds sign their own). You can't take part without it. We’ll email you the consent form after you register.
3. Introduce yourself on the discussion board here on Devpost, or on the Discord. That's where you'll find teammates, ask questions and get updates.
4. Prepare, but don't build. Pick your tools, install them and make sure they run on your laptop. Research your topic. All of that is encouraged. Just don't write code or make assets until kickoff.
5. Come on the day. Bring a laptop and charger. Check-in starts at 08:45.

Questions we expect

Do I need to bring a laptop? Yes. Bring a laptop and charger. We provide wifi and power, and extension cords.

What if I've never made anything before? Come anyway. The day starts with scoping, and organisers are in the room all day to help.

Can I come with friends? Yes. Everyone registers separately, and you can form a team of up to four.

What if I can't make it? Tell us as soon as you can, so we can offer your place to someone on the waiting list.

How do places work? About 30 places, given first come, first served once your consent form is received. There's a waiting list for any gaps. We don't choose by ability, school or background. The final list is confirmed on 13 March.

Is food provided? Lunch and snacks are planned and will be confirmed on this page. Tell us about allergies and dietary needs when you register.

What about accessibility or other needs? Tell us when you register, and we'll do everything we can to make it work.

Who's in charge? Checkpoint is run by a student team, with parents or guardians on site all day as chaperones. Organisers, judges and mentors never have private contact with participants.

Thank you to our sponsors

Journeys: Hanoi is hosted by True North International School (TNIS) and supported by gen.xyz, CodeCrafters, Formaloo and PixelSnap 2.

Sponsors

Please email us at [email protected] to ask about sponsoring Journeys: Hanoi. We accept cash, in-kind and any other form of sponsorship, and cash directly covers real costs like the venue's staff, lunch and materials. See the levels at https://checkpointhacks.org/sponsors

• Impact
  30%. Does it save something worth keeping? Is it clear what, and for whom? Is the connection real and thought through, or bolted on?
• Creativity
  20%. Is the idea interesting? Have we seen this before? Does it approach the theme from an angle we didn't expect?
• Execution
  20%. Does it work? Can a judge run it and see what it does? Does it do what it says easily and clearly?
• Art & Design
  15%. Does it look and feel like one coherent thing? Is it readable, and is it clear what's interactive? Generic, unpolished UI scores against this.
• Presentation
  15%. Was your demo clear and engaging? Was your description accurate, explaining what it is, who it's for and what it preserves?