Wollongong's original hackathon. Est. 2012.

3D printers, code, art, hardware and games. One room. 30 hours.

Watch the film

The Awesome Hackagong

Hackagong is the hackathon that started in Wollongong in 2012 and grew into a makerthon.

It put artists, engineers, coders and makers in one room to build weird and wonderful things.

Greatest hits

Chub Suit Dance-offHackagong 2015
3D Printing CompetitionHackagong 2013
Ordering a beer in 3rd personWith Oculus Rift + GoPro

Why it worked

  • Mash it together.

    Breakthroughs happen when very different people, skills and tech collide.

  • Smash the silos.

    Artists, engineers, coders and makers in one room.

  • Bring people together.

    It began by putting UOW's arts and IT students side by side.

  • Play without fear.

    Bottom-up, experimental, allowed to fail.

The story so far

  1. Hackagong 2012

    Australia's first multidisciplinary hackathon Wollongong, Nov 2012

  2. Hackagong 2013

    Australia's first 3D printing competition Jul 2013

  3. Demo Day 2013

    Expo at WIN Entertainment Centre Jul 2013

  4. HackagongX Code

    Apps for UOW students Sep 2013

  5. Hackagong 2014

    Australia's first AR competition Nov 2014

  6. Hackagong3D

    Pure 3D printing competition Aug 2015

  7. Hackagong 2015

    Australia's first VR competition Sep 2015

  8. MindShift Demo Day

    Pitches + Hackagong showcase Sep 2015

  9. Hackagong Bega

    Australia's bush hack Bega, May 2016

All the films

2015 30 films

2014 27 films

2013 26 films

2012 4 photos

More on YouTube

Good questions

Is Hackagong the same as Hack the Gong?
No. Hackagong has run since 2012. University administrators struggle with creativity.
When did Hackagong start?
24–25 November 2012 at the University of Wollongong, with 90 competitors in 27 teams.
What happened at Hackagong?
30 hours to design, code, 3D print and build something new, then pitch it to the judges.